Rear Echelon Commandos
by sersi
Summary: The Serenity is boarded and Jayne must retake the ship. He's not too thrilled about the crew he has left to work with.
1. Default Chapter

Author's notes:

1. It should be noted that some time ago I gave up and said, 'screw the floor plan,' so if the layout or anything about this story makes your brain hurt, just try to ignore it.

2. Special thanks to all the 'loonies at the Serenity Saloon (Arlo, Pip, Nef, Scott, Mekadave, Sooner, Lux, Eric) without whom this story would certainly have still been written, but not with as much flare! Thank you.

3. The title is just a little nod to my other favorite TV show, Combat. 

4. Dedicated to Adam Baldwin. Thank you for coming around the 'loon and talking to all us fans. We enjoy your humor and appreciate your opinions on ALL matters. 

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters and probably wouldn't want to know them in real life. Anyway, please don't sue. I have nothing.

  
  
  
  


Rear Echelon Commandos

by Sersi & Cylla

  
  


Mal, Zoe and Jayne stepped out of their shuttle and onto a patch of sodden grass. Mal cast a quick look over the area, noting the water dripping from the nearby trees. They were clumped unnaturally close together, making for tricky landing.

Zoe let out a relieved sigh and stepped past the captain. 

Mal looked offended. "Hey, I got us down, didn't I?" 

"If you hear me screaming in my sleep some night, sir, don't let it concern you," she replied, glancing over her shoulder at him. "It'll just be me reliving that landing."

Jayne scowled as his boot sank into the mud. He glanced at Mal. "You know, it don't ever stop rainin' here."

"It ain't rainin' now," Mal said.

Jayne grunted. "Yeah, well . . . just give it time."

"Not gonna' be here long enough." Mal turned and shouted into the shuttle. "Let's go, people. We ain't here on a field trip."

Jayne frowned at him. "What's a field trip?"

Book and Kaylee exited the shuttle, each carrying a bag. 

"It's a trip," Zoe said, as she passed Jayne, "made by school children to places of moderate historical interest."

"I never went on any field trip." 

"That's because you didn't go to school," Mal said. 

Jayne looked offended. "Did to . . . for awhile. . . ." 

Mal raised his eyebrows at him, but decided against comment.

  
  


Nef paced the interior of the small shuttle in impatience, stepping over the bound Inara. She sighed in irritation and looked out the cockpit window.

Pippin came up behind her. "I miss our ship."

Nef rolled her eyes. "We were leakin' radiation into the space lanes. . . ."

"It was still ours," Pippin grumped. She folded her arms over her chest. "Now we got nothin'."

Nef turned on her. "It was a clunker. I'm just glad we made it this far."

Pippin glanced around. "Yeah, an' it's sooo thrillin' bein' here."

"Better than being cooped up on that floatin' deathtrap."

"You two better not be griping about the ship again," a voice behind them said.

The girls turned to see Arlo step into the room. He threw a grease-covered part onto the floor and wiped the back of his sleeve across his forehead.

"What's that?" Pippin asked.

"It's broke." 

"Well . . . yeah. But what is it?"

He looked annoyed. "I don't know. Eric mumbled somethin' technical and said it'd take another hour to fit a new one."

The girls exchanged a quick look, then glanced at Inara. 

"What if she called her ship for help?" Nef asked. 

Arlo looked at Inara. "Did you?"

Inara fixed him with a look of distaste but kept silent. 

"Want I should torture her some?" Pippin asked.

Arlo sighed and said, "No. If she didn't, then it don't matter. If she did, then they'll probably be here to get her in the next half hour or so. Either way, we can't do anything different." He turned to the open door. "Go relieve Dave and Sooner before they kill each other."

The girls picked up their rifles and stalked from the shuttle, Pippin mumbling to herself.

"And stop gripin' 'bout the ship!" Arlo called after them.

  
  


"Anyone else think it's awful coincidental, her shuttle crashing in the middle of nowhere?" Jayne asked, as the group slogged their way through even deeper and more clingy mud. 

Mal sighed. "Yeah, I do. But, there ain't nothin' we can do different, now is there?"

"I'm just sayin', is all. . . ." 

"Well, maybe you'd like to keep anymore of them statements of the obvious to yourself."

Mal sighed in annoyance. He didn't like the plan of tromping through the uncharted wilderness, even though it had been his idea. It was definitely too late to go with Jayne's preference of landing their shuttle right next to Inara's and damned be the trees, bushes, and the underside of their own shuttle.

Kaylee and Book plodded along behind them. Book had a hand on Kaylee's arm, steadying her, while they tried to carry on a conversation.

"So, you used to go hikin' lots, shepherd?" 

"Yes. It was quite beautiful at the monastery."

"Miss it, huh?" 

"Sometimes."

"That why you wanted to come with us today?"

He smiled. "Just thought I'd get a little exercise, is all," he said. "Don't see much sunshine in space."

Jayne grunted and glanced over his shoulder. "Ain't gonna' seen none here, either."

Mal shook his head. Zoe, on the other side of him, gave him a sideways look, a wry grin curling her lips.

"What's so funny?" Mal asked.

"Nothing, sir."

"Well, somethin's funny."

"Lots of things are funny, sir."

"You know, Zoe, sometimes I get the feelin' you know more than you're sayin'."

"Could be, sir."

  
  


Lux sat in the pilot's chair, his feet on the flight console. 

"You're getting mud all over the controls," Inara said. She was still seated on the floor, her hands and feet tied. 

Lux leaned back in the chair and gave her an exasperated look. "Sorry." He looked around. "I know you like to keep things real purty in here."

Inara rolled her eyes. "Those controls are delicate."

"'s that so?"

"Yes. I spilled mango juice all over them last month and had to take the whole thing apart before I could even get the nav computer on line."

Lux fixed her with an irritated look, then sighed and moved his feet.

A drop of rain hit the window. Lux chuckled.

Inara gave him a puzzled look.

"Pip and Nef are on guard duty," he explained. He whirled his chair around, a huge grin on his face. "They hate getting wet." 

  
  


Mal stopped and peered through the trees. The tops were mangled and the ground was littered with leaves and broken branches. 

"Look's like her shuttle came through here," Mal said, gesturing at the trees. "Can't be much further."

"Far enough," Jayne grumbled.

Mal ignored him. "Kaylee? How long you figure it'll take to fix her shuttle?"

Kaylee, leaning on Book's arm, struggled to keep moving. She felt like she was carrying an extra 20 lbs on each foot. "Uh . . . hard to say, Cap'n. From what 'nara said, it could be the regulator. She said somethin' 'bout the intake valves on the port exhaust, but she has a thing 'bout them anyway. They get clogged a lot and they're hard to clean out." She crinkled her brow. "I'm pretty sure it ain't the fuel lines. I replaced 'em a couple weeks ago. Might be the compressor, but that wouldn't make it shimmy around like she said. . . ."

"Okay, Kaylee," he interrupted. "Just give me an estimate when we get there."

Jayne stopped abruptly and glanced at the sky. A drop of water hit him on the cheek. 

"Aw, hell. . . ."

  
  


Pippin brushed a palm over her face, wiping the water away. "I cannot believe our luck," she muttered. "Out here watchin' for hostiles while everyone else is sittin' around in the shuttle, keepin' warm and playin' cards."

"They ain't playin' cards."

"They might be."

Nef leaned forward. "You see somethin'?"

Pippin looked. "Rain."

Nef groaned. "Besides that."

"No. Ain't nobody gonna' be comin' after her. Even if she did call, they'd probably stay up on their ship 'til this rain let up." She snapped her sleeve, flinging water around. "I mean, what kinda' idiots go out in this weather?" 

  
  


Mal stopped and leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. The gentle sprinkle of moments ago had turned into a deluge of exasperating proportions. He turned slightly and glanced behind him. 

The others had stopped and were standing around in various stages of fatigue. None of them were used to outdoor expeditions, and certainly not through inclement weather. 

"We almost there?" Jayne asked. 

Mal straightened and gestured at the trees. "Should be . . . just about over. . . ." He trailed off as he climbed a little higher, brushing water-laden branches aside.

Jayne watched him disappear. He shook his head. Kaylee came up beside him and staggered around a bit while she tried to get her balance.

Jayne grabbed her arm. 

"Where's the Cap'n?" 

"Off pickin' berries somewheres. . . ." 

Kaylee smiled. "Don't be so grumpy. We're gettin' lots of fresh air."

He gave her an astonished look. "We're gettin' rained on."

She shrugged. "I love the smell of rain." She took a big whiff of the air.

Gunfire erupted from the other side of the hill and Jayne shoved Kaylee to the ground and drew his gun. He dropped onto his belly and crawled up the hill, kicking mud and water up behind him. He had to cover his head and roll out of the way as mal scrambled past him.

Jayne wiped mud from his face and eyed Mal, who was turning around to get into a better position. Zoe climbed up next to him.

"You see the shuttle?" Jayne asked. 

"Yep. Been taken over by unfriendlies." 

"Figures."

Mal looked over the group huddled behind him. "I reckon there ain't gonna' be any negotiating, so . . . Kaylee, you come up here next to Jayne." He gave Jayne a firm look. "You watch her."

Jayne nodded and helped Kaylee up next to him. He positioned her behind a tree and leaned against it. 

"Shepherd, you come on up here," Mal said, gesturing to Book. "I'm gonna' move 'round a bit, see if I can make out what's goin' in the shuttle."

  
  


Twenty minutes later, the situation was a standoff. The downpour had reduced visibility to only half a yard. Mal and Zoe lay in the mud, taking shelter behind a clump of trees. Jayne crawled over to them.

"We need to get back to the ship," he said. 

Mal looked irritated. "We can't.

"They ain't gonna' see us in this rain." 

"I'm not leavin' her." 

"You don't even know if she's still alive in there," Jayne protested, thumbing over his shoulder at the shuttle. It was almost twenty yards distant and the occupants were laying down an impressive amount of firepower when anyone got close enough.

Mal gave him a rigid look. "Get back to your position."

Jayne stared at him for several seconds, clearly weighing whether this was the time to jump ship. Eventually deciding it wasn't, he grumbled and crawled away.

Mal turned back to Zoe. After an uncomfortable minute of silence, he said, "You think she's still alive?"

"It's hard to say, sir. They must know that shuttle comes from a fairly large ship. It's gotta' be what they're after."

Mal considered that. "You think that's what this is all 'bout? They want to board us?"

"May be, sir."

Mal looked in the direction of the shuttle. He couldn't see through the downpour, but he knew if he stood up he'd know right quick where it was. 'They must have infrared on their guns to keep us pinned down like this.' Mal glanced around at his crew. 'Shoulda' been more prepared. Gotta' look into infrared. . . .'

"We're going to be out of ammo soon, sir."

"I know." Mal was quiet while he considered their alternatives. He turned on his back and examined the group.

Kaylee was next to Jayne, buried inside his coat. Mal briefly wondered what had prompted the sudden generosity from Jayne, but he quickly gave up the thought as trying to figure Jayne out was too strenuous. A few feet away Book was hugging the ground, trying to stay low enough to keep out of sight. 

At least everyone was armed. Mal had implemented that little rule a few weeks back when Kaylee and Inara had been mugged on a simple shopping trip into town. They hadn't been hurt and had actually thought it somewhat funny. The true unpleasantness came when Jayne found out about it and went into town to settle things. 

They hadn't expected a gunfight today, and no one had anything more impressive than a handgun. Jayne was particularly grumping, missing his Vera. Mal shook his head at the absurdity of the situation. A terrified mechanic, a shepherd, and a very disgruntled mercenary made up the bulk of his crack unit. At least he had Zoe. He glanced at her. She was hunkered down beside him. 

"Uncomfortably familiar, ain't it Zoe?" 

She smiled. "Yes, sir. But, we've been in worse situations."

He let out a short laugh. "I can always count on you to make things seem not quite as bad as they actually are." 

"Just doing my part, sir." 

  
  


Simon stepped onto the bridge. Wash was in his chair, drumming his fingers on the console, and staring at their guest.

"Maybe we should tie him up?" Simon suggested. 

Badger leapt to his feet. "Hey now, that's not sociable, is it?" 

Wash and Simon glanced at each other, then back to Badger.

"It's not my fault I'm stuck here with you lot." Badger glanced from one to the other, then sat down again, adjusting his hat unnecessarily. "Kidnapping is no way to advance friendly business relations, you know."

"We did not kidnap you," Wash said, testily.

Badger jumped to his feet again and pointed at the windows. "Does that look like Demeter to you?"

Wash and Simon gave the miserable little planet a quick look, then stared at Badger.

"You're the one who insisted on going with your cargo and keeping your beady, little eyes on it the whole way," Wash said.

"Yeah, well, detouring to this backwater planet weren't in our deal, mate," he said, jabbing a finger at Wash.

"So, you'll be a little late," Wash said, casually.

Badger gaped at him, then stomped around the bridge for a few seconds. Eventually he stopped and stared at Wash again. Wash stared back, a mixture of contempt and amusement on his face.

"I see you have absolutely no grasp of the mechanics of business," Badger said.

"I understand fine. What you don't understand is the Captain isn't going to leave any of his crew behind."

Simon looked at him strangely and Wash added, hastily, "Not unless he has a very good reason. And, you aren't a good enough reason."

"Wha - not good enough -" Badger clamped his mouth shut in frustration and went back to his pacing.

Wash groaned. "We'll get you to your rendezvous as soon as the others get back."

Badger rolled his eyes and continued to pace.

  
  


Inara lay on the floor, trying to keep out of everyone's way.

Pippin slumped against the wall. "I say we forget this thing an' take off for town." 

"You been sayin' a lot of things lately," Nef mumbled. She fingered the trigger of her rifle, then peered through the cockpit window again.

"Only things need sayin'," Pippin grumbled. 

Scott entered the cramped room and took in the situation. "Where's Arlo?"

"Boss done got a bee in his bonnet 'bout launchin' a flankin' maneuver," she answered. "He took Eric, Sooner, Lux and Dave 'an we ain't seen hide nor hair of 'em since they left."

Scott set his rifle on the flight console and dropped into the pilot's chair. "Great," he mumbled. "They'll probably all get killed and we still won't have transportation offa' this rock."

Nef looked at Pippin and Scott, shaking her head slowly. "You think you two could be a little more pessimistic, 'cause I'm not gettin' it."

Scott eyed her dispassionately. "Maybe we oughta' do a little more shooting. For distractin' purposes."

  
  


The sound of gunfire cut through the deluge, causing curses and a few screams. Bullets thudded into the mud around them, kicking up a spray of water wherever they hit.

After a minute, the barrage let up and Mal surveyed the group.

"Anyone hit?" 

There were a few comments to the negative - Jayne adding a bit of colorful verbiage to his answer - while Kaylee remained silent.

"Kaylee, you okay?" Mal asked.

She didn't answer.

"Kaylee!"

Jayne was on her in an instant, grabbing her and turning her on her side. "Kaylee?"

She was shaking, not all from the cold. "I . . . I . . . can't . . . we're gonna' die here, ain't we?"

"We ain't gonna' die," Jayne said, gruffly. 

She continued shivering and staring at him.

"She all right?" Mal asked.

Jayne peered at her. "You ain't shot, are you?" 

"No." 

He nodded and turned loose of her. He gave her a final look and said, "We ain't gonna' die. You hear me?"

She nodded.

Mal crawled over to them. "They're trying to keep us pinned down here. Can't afford to have us get back to our shuttle and contact the ship."

"I think they're tryin' to flank us," Jayne said. 

"Hard to do in this weather." 

"It's what I'd do." 

Mal sighed. "Yeah, me too."

Mal considered the situation while Jayne watched him intently. Eventually, he said, "Someone's gotta' get back to the ship."

"We ALL gotta' get back to the ship," Jayne said. 

"We'd lose half just tryin' it." 

"Better half than all." 

Mal stared at him. "We ain't losin' anyone, and we ain't leavin' anyone behind, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Jayne grumbled, "but wishin' and doin' are two different things."

Mal glared at him, knowing he was right, but unwilling to accept it. 

"I'm goin' back to the shuttle," he said. "I think I can make it."

Zoe gave him a worried look. "I don't think your chances are that good, sir."

"We gotta' get on the radio, contact Wash."

Zoe was silent a minute. "How will we know if you make it, sir?"

"I'll have him bring the Serenity down. Flood the shuttle with light. Can't miss that."

Jayne spoke up. "Just so's you don't do any 'o that floodin' over here."

Zoe glanced in the direction of Inara's shuttle. "That doesn't get Inara out of there, sir."

Mal considered. "No. But, maybe they'll be like to see reason once they're outnumbered and exposed."

Zoe nodded. "Be careful, sir." 

"I will."

"Are we gonna' get this plan underway anytime tonight?" Jayne whispered. "'Cause, I don't think we've talked it to death yet 'an I got some things to say. . . ."

"Shut up, Jayne," Mal said. He turned to Zoe. "Best to stay right here. No sense makin' moving targets out of yourselves tryin' to get anywhere."

Zoe nodded again. 

Mal crawled past her and stopped when he reached Jayne. "You keep an eye on Kaylee, you hear?"

Jayne looked offended. "I will."

"I mean it, Jayne. God help you if you show up at the ship without her. You understand me?"

A flash of anger crossed Jayne's face. "I ain't gonna' let nothin' happen to her."

Mal and Jayne exchanged a somber look, then Mal turned and disappeared into the rain.

  
  


The five would-be thieves struggled through the downpour, trying to keep low.

"This is such a bad idea," Lux mumbled. He turned to look over his shoulder at Sooner. 

She was annoyed almost beyond endurance. She didn't like too much water. She didn't like the outdoors, she didn't like getting dirty, and most of all she didn't like most of her crew mates. She returned Lux's embittered look. If he told her just one more time to keep up, she might have to break something on him.

"Am I gonna' have to carry you?" he said.

She glowered at him, but picked up her pace. 

In the lead, Arlo stopped and motioned for the others to do so, too. 

Dave crawled up next to him. 

"What do you think?" Arlo asked him. 

"I think this is a bad plan." 

Eric moved up to Arlo's left. "We had a good ship, you know, and you had to fly it through that space junk. I told you. . . ."

Dave shook his head. "Yeah, I seem to remember you saying something 'bout the pretty girls you were missing and how we needed to get there faster."

"Well I didn't tell you to sail through a heap of floating garbage like a drunkin' ape!"

Sooner moved up next to Dave, wiping her soaked hair from her face. "I think we should go back into town. Find someone to fix our ship. . . ."

Dave turned on her. "Ain't no one gonna' be able to fix the ship!"

Eric leaned around Arlo. "Hey, I told you I coulda' fixed that engine -."

Lux groaned. "The whole ship's full of radiation -!"

"That's because I wasn't there to contain it!" He looked at Arlo. "I told you I could fix it -."

"I think it can be fixed," Sooner said, looking at Eric. "I just don't think you can do it."

"I damn well can too!" He pushed himself through the mud to lean into her face. "If it weren't for all the panicking the rest of you were doing we'd have a ship right now!"

"No," Lux interrupted, "we'd be floatin' 'round the inside of the Ravager right now," he wiggled his fingers in the air, "runnin' into each other 'cause we couldn't see, body parts fallin' off, and listenin' to Sooner whine 'bout no air conditioning!"

"I do not whine!" 

"I think you both whine," Eric said.

Arlo whirled on them. "That is it!" 

The group clamped their mouths shut and stared at him. 

"I've had it with the constant bellyaching!" 

"We're just sayin'. . . ." 

"You see this approximately 50 feet of space around me?" Arlo said, making a wide gesture with his arm, momentarily forgetting he was in hostile territory. "That is a no-whining zone! Got it?!" He aimed a finger at each of them. "The next one of you makes one ruttin' comment about the rain or the mud or the old ship, I'm gonna' rip your head off and beat the other three to death with it! Are we clear!?"

In the face of their leader's obvious anxiety, the crew chose to refrain from further comment. The five sat in awkward silence for nearly a minute, then Arlo started moving again.

"I thought we were there already." 

Arlo didn't look back. "Sooner. . . ."

"Well, if I'd known it was this far, I wouldn't 'a come," she muttered.

Knowing he needed them for the moment, Arlo ground his teeth together and kept going. 

  
  


Mal struggled through the downpour, wondering if he was still heading in the right direction. He was worried about his crew and his own well-being. 

He only made it another few feet before gunfire exploded around him. He pushed himself backward frantically, and managed to get over a small incline. He tumbled over and lay against a tree, winded and trying to catch his breath. After a minute, he peeked over the edge. 

More shots were fired, some of them coming dangerously close to his head. They exchanged bullets for a few seconds, and when the commotion died down Mal took a few calming breaths. 

He thought over his options for a minute, which unhappily turned out to be only two - staying where he was and being perforated inside the next few minutes, or run for the shuttle.

He decided to make a break.

  
  


Jayne felt like he was soaked to the bone. He was shivering uncontrollably and unable to keep his gun steady, which worried him as his marksmanship could be jeopardized if he got the chance to shoot at anything again.

Mal should've reached their shuttle half an hour ago and brought the Serenity down at least fifteen minutes ago. Jayne was imagining the captain's bullet-riddled body lying in a ditch somewhere when he felt something on his back. 

He jerked, startled by the abrupt contact.

"You're cold," Kaylee said.

"No, I ain't."

She ignored his obvious lie, opened her coat, and draped half of it over Jayne's back. She put her hand on his shoulder and leaned into him, trying to keep them both warm.

Jayne stiffened at her actions. A pretty girl that normally wouldn't touch him was snuggling up close to him. That was enough to kindle an uncomfortable warmness in his chest. If they got out of this alive, he'd be sure to remember this particular moment for the rest of his life. 

  
  


Scott slammed the shuttle door closed and turned to Pippin.

"I can't see anything."

"Probably hiding." She crossed her arms over her chest. "It's what I'd be doin' right now."

Nef eased up to the cockpit window and peeked out again. She looked back at Scott. "We could rush 'em."

He gaped at her. "Rush 'em?" He shook his head. "Rush 'em? We can't even see them anymore."

"I don't like this waiting."

"I say we hold up here 'til morning," Pippin said, "then head back to town."

Scott and Nef stared at her.

"What?" She looked from one to the other. "Eric couldn't even fix this thing and -."

"That's because we didn't give him time." Nef gestured. "He had to go on the Great Flankin' Maneuver." 

Pippin slumped onto Inara's bed. "They're probably all dead."

  
  


Jayne was thinking what he considered very unmanly thoughts about picking flowers and buying pretty dresses for a certain cute mechanic when Zoe whispered his name.

"Pay attention," she said.

"I am," he replied, indignantly.

"You looked like you were about to fall asleep."

"Well, I wasn't."

Zoe contemplated him for another few seconds, then said, "I think something's happened to the captain."

"You're just now comin' 'round to that idea?"

"I'm going after him."

"Now, that's ruttin' stupid. You can't help him and you'd be cuttin' our firepower down."

"If he didn't make it back, then Wash isn't on his way," she said, "and we're just sitting out here until we run out of ammo and they come and shoot us."

Jayne didn't say anything. She was right, and he didn't like waiting anyway.

Zoe said, "I'm going to see if I can help the captain."

"You're wastin' your time."

"Mine to waste." 

  
  


After another twenty minutes and still no sign of the Serenity, it seemed fairly obvious to Jayne that no one would be flying in to rescue them. They needed a plan. Jayne turned on his back and surveyed what was left of the group. 

Book and Kaylee were hunkered behind the same tree and neither looked ready to launch any kind of assault, let alone a defense if they were overrun. 

Jayne groaned. Doing was what he was best at, not planning. He turned back and peered over the incline. There were enough trees to cover his approach if he decided to do the one-man up-the-middle routine. He thought about the problem, trying to look at it from every angle, but he just didn't have the patience for that kind of scrutiny. Simple plans were always the best. No sense muddying things up with too much thinking.

Jayne leaned toward Book and Kaylee and said, "I'm goin' to the shuttle."

"Excuse me?" Book said, then thought about it. "Which shuttle?"

Jayne thumbed over his shoulder. "'Nara's." 

"I think that's a bad idea."

"We ain't got a better one, and no one's comin' to help us."

"You don't know that." 

"Been too long, preacher." He ran a hand over his gun, checking the clip and making sure it was in good working order. He didn't like his guns getting wet. It wouldn't impede their efficiency, but it made more work later when he had to clean them. "You stay here with Kaylee. I'll come back for you if I can."

"I"ll go with you," Book said, grabbing his arm.

"I don't need the help."

"Yes, you do. You're outnumbered."

"They only been firin' two different guns the last twenty minutes," Jayne replied. "I think some of 'em are dead or out tryin' to flank us." 

"They may be trying to fool you."

Jayne rolled over onto his stomach, cradling his gun. "Find out soon enough."

  
  


"Are we lost?' Sooner asked. 

"We ain't lost." Arlo threw himself against a tree and eased around it, his rifle pointing the way. He didn't see anything familiar. 

Dave rolled onto his back and looked at Sooner. "Can you stop complaining for one minute?"

"Me?" She pushed herself forward. "Who was that makin' them comments 'bout the mud gettin' in his pretty hair?"

"I don't got pretty hair!"

"Pip said you did."

"She -!" He reconsidered. "Did she?"

"Said you was too purty to be a mercenary. Got no time to be combin' your hair when people needs killin'."

Dave pushed his way over to her and leaned into her face. "High heels," he said, distinctly.

Sooner's face turned red and she went rigid. "That weren't my fault." 

Dave raised his eyebrows.

"I was supposed to be schmoozin' the mark and makin' him like me -!"

"Which is where everything went wrong, you ask me," Dave mumbled.

"He did like me!" 

"Right. You killed him with those heels. They still talk about it to this day."

"They do not!" 

"Shut up!" Arlo screamed. "We're close and they can probably hear you."

Sooner and Dave glared at each other. "You go runnin' outta' the bar, him chasin' you, and you both fall down the stairs! You STABBED him in the neck with your heel. Anyway you look at it, it's YOUR FAULT!"

Sooner let out a shriek and jumped on him. He rolled over just as she landed, and wrapped both arms around her. They rolled through the mud for a few seconds, then pushed themselves up to their knees, still grappling with one another. Dave leaned down and yelled into her ear. "Wanna' play name that headlock!" His arm snapped forward, encircled her neck, and started throttling.

She let out a strangled, gurgling sound, and clawed at his arm. After only a few seconds, she'd had enough and punched him in the stomach.

"Whoopphh!" He bent double and she pulled her neck out of his grip and wrapped both hands around his throat. 

Arlo turned around. "What the ruttin' -!"

Sooner was choking Dave with ferocious zeal, his head jerking back and forth like a broken rag doll. 

Dave, quickly having enough of that, slapped a palm to her face and pushed.

Sooner, however, wouldn't let go and she continued throttling him.

Dave refused to budge, as well, and he planted both hands on her face and squeezed.

They both started screaming.

The outcome would forever remain in doubt, however, as Arlo and Eric jumped on both of them, quickly prying them apart.

Arlo stared at them in astonishment. "What the ruttin' hell is wrong with you two?!"

Sooner and Dave glared at each other, breathing hard and neither willing to comment.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're on a job here!" He leaned in close to both of them. "I got no time for this kinda' behavior! You two are gonna' be scrubbing the ship from stem to stern for the next six months if you don't knock it off! Got it?!"

Sooner looked at the ground and muttered, "Don't have a ship. . . ."

Arlo let loose a furious string of invectives, and leaned in close to her face. "I'm gonna' duct tape your mouth shut if I hear one more word about the ship. Understand?" 

"Yeah."

He looked each of them over, clearly looking for indications of further violence, then said, "I think their shuttle is up ahead."

  
  


Jayne made excellent time. He'd learned a long time ago to tolerate any type of terrain and to keep his bulk low to the ground. People got bits shot off them if they didn't. He stopped and peered through the rain. He could just make out the shuttle ahead. It hadn't exactly crashed, but it had obviously come down hard.

Jayne wormed his way to the shuttle, staying as low as he could, and keeping his gun out of the mud. Twenty feet from the shuttle, he stopped and listened. 

Voices filtered through the open door. Jayne tried to catch what they were saying, but the rain destroyed any clarity and he had to settle for getting closer.

  
  


"Now we've lost Scott," Pippin said, throwing her arms in the air. She paced around the confines of the shuttle, irritated and worried.

Nef leaned around the open door. "Maybe he got 'em."

Pippin stopped. "Scott can barely shoot straight." She stood next to Nef. "He's probably laying in a ditch somewheres."

"You hear something?" Nef asked. 

Pippin leaned toward the door. 

"Careful," Nef said, grabbing her shirt and pulling her back. 

Pip glared at her and stepped back. "I tell ya Nef, I'm gonna' find me a nice big, manly type guy, settle down, and raise a bunch of kids."

Nef rolled her eyes. "Where are you gonna' find a guy wants to marry you?"

"Hey," Pippin said, offended, "I got appeal."

Nef scoffed. "Right. 'Cause killin' and pillagin' for a living is so attractive."

Pippin opened her mouth to reply, but stopped short. "Hey, did you hear that?"

The girls moved to the door again and peeked out. 

"I'm goin' out," Nef said, moving forward.

  
  


Scott made his way through the mud, cursing under his breath the entire time. He reached another tree and stopped. He listened for a minute and concluded that he'd heard voices. He smirked. He'd catch them unprepared and have this little problem wrapped up in no time.

He pushed his way forward, his gun clutched in his left hand.

  
  


Jayne saw the first one step out of the shuttle. He could've shot him, but decided to take him out quick and quiet. He stayed where he was, lying on his stomach in the mud, not twenty feet from his target. 

Jayne fingered the hilt of his knife. 

Only a few more steps. . . .

  
  


Scott eased over the incline, his gun leading, and scanned the area. 

Nothing.

He stared at the trees, puzzled. He was sure he'd heard voices. He thought about it for only a minute more before he decided to move on. 

As he turned to crawl back, he heard the unmistakable click of a hammer being cocked. It was uncomfortably close to his left ear. 

"Now, I'd hate to have to shoot you, son," a soft voice spoke into his ear, "so why don't you just hand me that pistol of yours?"

Scott eased his left arm out and his gun was plucked from his fingers. 

"You gonna' kill me now?" he asked, steadily.

"I think leaving you to your fate is punishment enough."

Scott looked stunned. "Wha -? Well . . . what does that mean?"

"I think a man's end is something he carves out for himself throughout his life."

Scott frowned. "I don't need a philosophy lesson if I'm 'bout to die."

He felt a pair of hands searching his body for more weapons, plucking items from his pockets, then moving away. The gun at his head remained steady. 

"We all have to answer for how we lived our lives. Some of us just have to answer a bit sooner."

Scott scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What are you, a preacher?"

"Yes, actually." 

He felt the gun move away from his temple.

"I wonder at your life up until now," the voice continued, fading into the rain, "that your end comes in the middle of nowhere, a lonely testament to a life of iniquity." 

  
  


Mal stopped and let his head fall into the mud. Since living through the war and choosing his profession, he'd often imagined how he'd die. He grunted in amusement. This wasn't far off the mark. Though, in his worst nightmare he'd never dreamed up the rain. Leave it to Fate to toss in one more thing to make his passing as unpleasant as possible. 

He started crawling again. The rain continued to pelt his back like a rock storm, and his body seemed to sink further into the mud with every move. He was dragging his left leg as it had abandoned the struggle some time ago and was now totally useless. He'd taken a bullet through the upper thigh and, despite his efforts, it continued to bleed profusely.

"Sir?"

Now he was hearing things. 

"Captain?"

'Sounded remarkably like Zoe. Mal tried to roll over to get a look at his apparition. It surely couldn't be his Zoe. He'd told her to stay behind and she never disobeyed orders. Well, there was that one time. . . .'

"Sir, we're not far from the shuttle. I'm gonna' drag you. Just sit tight."

'Nice touch, makin' her all competent and concerned. 'Course, a hallucination would be somethin' from his own mind. He'd want it to be dependable and brief. No sense talkin' a situation to death.' He laughed again.

"Sir?" 

"You'd follow me there, too . . . wouldn't you, Zoe?" he mumbled.

"Where's that, sir?"

He felt his body moving through the mud without his volition. "Hell," he said, quietly.

"Yes, sir. But, we're not going there just now."

He glanced around absently. "Like to take my gun. . . ."

"They'd probably make you check it at the door, sir." 

He grunted. "Whoo dahn rules. . . ." 

  
  


Jayne didn't think the night could get any worse, but he'd been surprised.

He'd had a good plan, but something happened midway through the execution of it. His prey had let out something very much like a girly scream and he'd stopped his knife an inch from her neck. 

He took another few seconds to realize that his arm was wrapped around something definitely soft and squishy. 

He didn't mind killing anyone that was trying to do the same to him. Shooting a woman wouldn't bother him much, but knifing one was just a bit disconcerting.

A moment of hesitation was all the time needed for his plan to go awry. He quickly found himself in a wrestling match. She was screaming and kicking and generally making him wish he'd gone ahead and knifed her.

She kicked him in the shin.

"Ow!" 

She threw her head back and hit him in the mouth.

"Ahh!" 

Enough was enough. They'd probably already alerted anyone else still in the shuttle, so he might as well just shoot her. He threw her to the ground and reached for his sidearm.

Something landed on his back and he let out a grunt and fell to his knees, his gun flying off into the dark.

Jayne reached around and grabbed his attacker by the hair. 

Long hair?

He pulled and she screamed.

Pippin flew over his shoulder and landed in the mud in front of him. 

Jayne peered at her. 

"What the ruttin' -?" 

Nef dived at him then, wrapping both arms around him and knocking him onto his side. 

Pip stood up and drew her gun. She tried to aim, but couldn't get a clear shot around Nef.

Jayne realized his situation immediately. He saw the glint of metal in her hand and quickly wrapped both arms around Nef, pinning her to his body and effectively shielding his from a hail of bullets.

"Ow!" Nef screamed. "Let go of me, you big ape!"

Jayne struggled to his feet, keeping Nef in a bear hug. 

"Put her down!" Pippin screamed.

"Don't think so." Jayne cast a quick look behind him. No one was bursting out of the shuttle to help them. Maybe they were alone.

Nef, facing Jayne and her body mashed tightly against his, was left with few options. She thrust her head forward and tried to hit him in the head. 

He jerked his head sideways and she missed.

"I said, put her down," Pippin said. "Or . . . or. . . ."

"Or what?" Jayne asked. He couldn't resist being antagonistic, even when his life was in danger.

Pippin stuttered, not sure what to do. "I'm . . . I am so going to shoot you. . . ."

Jayne backed toward the shuttle. "Go ahead. Bullet'l probably go through yer friend here and - ow!"

Nef had latched onto his left ear with her teeth and was biting for all she was worth.

Jayne put a hand on the side of her head and tried to push her away.

She wouldn't budge. She had teeth like a badger and his struggling only made her bite harder.

"Aaaaaagghhhh!" He staggered backward and hit the side of the shuttle. 

Pip ran forward, trying to help, but Jayne saw her coming and lashed out with his foot.

His boot caught her squarely in the jaw. Her head snapped back and she dropped her gun and collapsed in the mud.

Jayne and Nef continued to struggle, neither willing to give in. 

  
  


Mal was on the ground, leaning against a tree that afforded little in the way of shelter, while Zoe bandaged his leg. She wasn't one for unnecessary comfort, nor gentleness, and she assailed the task with determination.

"Aaaggghhh!"

"Stop moving around, sir." 

"Zoe," Mal panted, "your mom ever tell you, you got a bedside manner like a drill instructor?"

Zoe didn't comment, just finished tying the makeshift bandage around his leg. 

Mal closed his eyes. The cold and the blood loss were taking a toll on him and, despite Zoe's presence, he didn't rate his chances of survival very high.

"Sir?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you can make it to the shuttle?"

Mal looked around, languidly. "Yeah. I'll try. . . ."

"It's not far," she said, helping him to his feet. 

"That's what they always say," he mumbled.

"Sir?"

"It's not far . . . this won't hurt a bit . . . don't poke trolls. . . ."

  
  


Jayne was rolling through the mud, sandwiched between Pippin and Nef, neither of which seemed willing to give up and let go. He pushed himself up onto one knee and Pippin, an arm around his neck, squeezed harder.

Jayne started choking. He reached around and beat at Pippin, but she was too small and he couldn't seem to hit her.

He could do something about Nef, however. He had an arm around her middle, trying to pry her away, but, with her teeth sunk into his ear, he hadn't put much effort into it. Now, he started squeezing.

Nef let go instantly. "You're crushing my spleeeeeen!"

She tried to knee him in the groin but, expecting that, Jayne managed to shove her sideways and she hit him in the leg.

Jayne staggered around, the two women clinging to him like parasites, and promptly tumbled through the open door of the shuttle.

Inara, still on the floor and trying to untie her hands with her teeth, glanced up in alarm.

They fell to the floor, Pippin landing on the bottom. She gasped in shock and her arms immediately went slack and fell away from Jayne's neck. 

Nef struggled to get off of Jayne with the intent of finding a gun of some sort as she knew the fight wouldn't last much longer.

Jayne's hand snapped forward, grabbed her by the shirt, and yanked her back. 

"Hey -!"

He punched her in the nose and let go of her.

Nef flew backward and out the door to land in a large puddle of water.

Jayne rolled off of Pippin and spotted Inara. 

Their eyes locked for a moment.

"Well, that was embarrassing," she said.

  
  


Wash paced the bridge of Serenity, biting his lower lip and occasionally stopping to stare at the planet below. Mal and the others were way beyond late in checking in and all the myriad possibilities for this were dancing through his head with disturbing imagery.

Badger had given up complaining, humming, and his brief foray into singing which resulted in several objects being hurled at him, and now leaned sulkily against the back wall.

"Wash, you there?" 

Badger came off the wall, alert, and Wash leapt at the console and hit the communicator. 

"Zoe! What's going on?" 

"Had a little trouble," she said, tightly. "We're coming back to the ship."

Simon stepped onto the bridge. 

"Did you make it to the other shuttle?" 

"Yes, but we had an accident. Captain's hurt." 

Simon and Wash exchanged a concerned look.

"How bad?" Wash asked.

"Not too bad. We left Kaylee and the others to fix Inara's shuttle."

"All right." Wash sat and flicked a few buttons on the flight console. "I have you on approach. Think you can dock that thing, honey?"

"I think so. Out."

Wash turned to look at Simon and Badger.

"She's a good pilot . . . well, fair . . . I've been teaching her."

Badger stared at him, eyebrows raised in apprehension. 

  
  


Book and Kaylee reached the shuttle just at the moment Jayne was hauling Nef inside. Hearing their approach, Jayne dropped her and pulled his sidearm. 

"Jayne! It's us!" Kaylee said, raising her hands for safety's sake.

Jayne peered at them, then waved with his gun. "Come on in here," he said, gesturing at the shuttle.

"Is Inara all right?" Book asked.

"Yeah, she's okay."

Kaylee stopped and looked at Nef lying at Jayne's feet. "Who's that?"

"Don't know." Jayne looked at the unconscious woman. "But she bites."

  
  


Mal opened his eyes. He was lying on something hard and uncomfortable. It smelled like . . . he didn't know what it smelled like, just knew he didn't like it. He rolled it around his brain for a minute and decided it smelled like a wet dog. No, maybe wet burlap. It was musty and sweaty and . . . a little nauseating. . . .

"Sir?" 

Mal groaned and opened his eyes. "Zoe?"

"Yes, sir. How do you feel?"

Mal glanced around. The odor that had bothered him for the last five minutes suddenly became familiar. It was him.

"Sir?" 

Mal returned his gaze to Zoe. "Why do I smell like a drowned rat?"

"You've been shot, sir," she nodded toward the cockpit, "and now we've been hijacked." 

"Hey, no talking back there," Eric said, waving his pistol at her.

Mal squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. "How'd that happen, then?"

"Bad timing, sir."

  
  


Book stared down at Nef and Pippin, both bound and gagged and lying on the floor.

"What are we gonna' do with them?"

Jayne closed the door of the shuttle. "Might as well kill 'em."

Book and Inara cast startled looks his way.

Jayne stared blankly at them. "What?"

Book moved next to the two women. "You can't just kill two unarmed women."

"Tried to kill me," Jayne said, putting a hand up to his ear. It was still bleeding liberally, turning his sodden t-shirt a sickly brown.

Inara gave him a patronizing smile. "Yes, I'm sure the mud wrestling had your life flashing before your eyes."

Jayne scowled at her. 

Inara moved to the pilot's chair and sat. She quickly flicked a few switches and said: "I'll let Wash know what's going on."

Jayne exchanged an exasperated look with Book. "Watch 'em," he said, indicating Nef and Pippin. "I'm gonna' check on Kaylee."

Jayne found her in the back of the shuttle, the plates off the walls and most of the engine exposed. She was lying on her back, half inside the wall.

Jayne knelt beside her. 

"Can you fix it?"

She grunted and moved to get a look at him. "Yeah. It'll be a few minutes, though." She tossed a few pieces of twisted metal and ceramic parts out of her way. "I'm gonna' bypass a few things here, get her in the air. It won't last, but it should only take about six minutes to break atmo and reach the ship."

"Okay. Let me know when you're done." 

She grabbed his arm. "Got a little problem, though."

"What?"

"See this here?" She pointed and Jayne leaned down and looked.

"So?" 

"They need to be held together." 

"Yeah?"

"I got nothin' to hold 'em together with. Didn't expect 'em to shear off like that. Gonna' have to replace the whole thing when we get back. . . ."

"So, what are you sayin'? We can't get in the air?

She sighed. "Yeah, we can, I just . . . gotta' hold these in place." She gave him a worried look. 

Realization hit Jayne and he looked startled. "What? You mean you gotta' hold that while we're flyin'?"

"Yeah." 

"No." 

"Jayne."

"I ain't lettin' you get electrocuted -." 

"Jayne -."

"You could lose a hand like that."

"I'll be careful. Just so long as 'nara doesn't do any fancy maneuverin'. . . ."

Jayne stared at her for a few more seconds, then stood abruptly and stalked off.

  
  


Zoe was on the floor, Mal's head lying on her leg. He was unconscious again.

Arlo was pacing the small cockpit, anxious and jumpy, while Dave flew.

"You're goin' too fast," Sooner said.

"Am not."

"Hello?" she said, pointing. "Large, unmoving object dead ahead!"

"Will you shut up," Arlo told her.

"Fine," she said, throwing her arms in the air. "I'm just gonna' say I told you so, now then, okay. 'Cause I won't be able to when we're mashed up against that ship, all twisted up an' outta' joint 'an spitting blood through our teeth."

Arlo sighed and turned his back to her.

Lux traded a look with Zoe, shaking his head in exasperation.

She glanced down at Mal and gently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead.

"At least your not flying, sir," she murmured.

  
  


Wash frowned and said, "Say that again, please." 

Inara repeated, "I said we'll be in the air in about two minutes."

"The other part. The part about being shot at."

"Everything's fine now. We're all okay."

Wash leaned forward in his chair. "Well . . . how -?"

"Wash?"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated, then, "We don't know where Zoe and Mal are right now," she said, quietly.

Wash let out the breath he'd been holding. "They're okay. On their way back now."

  
  


Inara sat up straight in her chair. That was good news she hadn't expected.

"You talked to them?" she asked. 

"Yeah. Zoe called, said Mal was hurt and they were leaving Kaylee to fix your shuttle."

Jayne, just entering, said, "What'd he say?"

A puzzled look crossed Inara's face. "How did they know you'd reached my shuttle?"

Jayne frowned, then leaned down and hit the transmit key. "Wash, you sure that's what she said?"

"Yeah. Why? What's wrong?"

"We ain't seen either or 'em in almost an hour. They left us pinned down out here. We only made it to 'nara's shuttle a few minutes ago."

A long, uncomfortable minute of silence passed, wherein each side considered what exactly that meant.

"Why would she say that?" Wash asked, a hint of fear in his voice. Only one reason he could think of and he didn't want to face it.

Jayne said, "How long before they dock?"

"They're docking right now."

"Lock the airlock. Don't let 'em inside." 

"Mal's injured. We -." 

"Lock it now!" Jayne said. "They get out of there, they'll take over the ship!"

"I can't just push a button and lock the door."

"They got locks, don't they?" Jayne asked.

"Yeah, they're for safety reasons. If environmental conditions on the ship are. . . ."

Wash pondered for only a few seconds, then leapt into action, flicking switches.

"What are you doing?" Simon asked.

"Opening the cargo bay doors. That'll depressurize the bay and the locks will engage on the airlock. They won't be able to leave their shuttle."

Badger leapt to his feet. "Now wait a minute! That's my cargo in there!" 

"Sorry," Wash said, dispassionately.

Badger grabbed his arm. "You can't just blow my cargo into the atmo! You know what that costs!"

"Why's he on the bridge?" Jayne asked. "Get him outta' there."

Simon grabbed Badger's arm. "Just sit down."

"I'd prefer not to be manhandled, thank you," he said, pulling his arm free. "You can't just jettison my cargo -!"

"It's already done," Wash said.

Badger backed away, a look of total astonishment on his face. After a few seconds, he threw his arms in the air and said, "You're going to pay for that cargo. . . ."

"Won't the computer automatically repressurize the cargo bay?" Simon asked, ignoring him.

"Yes," Wash answered. "But not if I leave the doors open." 

Jayne said, "They'll wanna' talk, use Mal and Zoe for bargaining and try and get you to open the door. We'll just end up in a standoff. Don't do it."

"I . . . I don't know if I -." 

"Wash, you listen to me," Jayne said, angrily. "They get out of there, they're goin' straight for the bridge . . . or the engine room. Either way, we've lost the ship. Don't talk to them."

"All right," Wash said, dully. "No talking." 

  
  


Pip let out a horrified shriek and said, "You're making us hold engine parts in place?! While we're flying?!"

Nef said, "I could lose a finger that way!"

"Better than all of you," Book said.

"What kind of a preacher are you, anyway?" Pip said, frowning at him in disbelief.

"I'm sorry. It's not my decision. Jayne is going to kill both of you unless you cooperate." He shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, but those are your choices."

Pip and Nef glared at him, then at each other.

"Glad to know we got a choice," Nef grumbled.

"It's real simple," Kaylee said, moving to the engine. "Just stay back from this section," she said, gesturing. "It's gonna' be turnin' when we get goin' and it could take your head off. . . ."

  
  


Lux turned to Arlo. "It's not opening." 

Arlo groaned and pushed him aside. "It's a ruttin' door. All you have to do is open it." He grabbed the handle and heaved.

Lux stood back, arms folded over his chest. After a few seconds of Arlo struggling with the door, Lux tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the indicator light.

"We've got no atmosphere outside the ship."

Arlo frowned and slammed a hand against the door.

"Malfunction?" he asked.

Lux shrugged. "Maybe. Could be they know we're here." 

Arlo crossed to Dave. "Can you tell what's going on?"

Dave shrugged and gestured at the indicator panel. "All I'm getting is a no atmo indicator and a warning to stay where we are."

Arlo motioned for Zoe to stand up. "Get on the radio, ask 'em what's going on."

Knowing he'd threaten to shot Mal again, Zoe decided to cooperate. She eased Mal's head off of her lap and got to her feet. 

"Don't get smart," Arlo said, and stepped back to allow her to reach the intercom.

She hit the transmit button.

"Wash?"

  
  


On the Serenity bridge, Wash, Simon and Badger sat in awkward silence. There wasn't anything for them to do but wait. Badger was seated, his head hanging and shaking it slowly from side to side. 

Badger looked up, abruptly. "I think we need to arm ourselves and get to the cargo bay." 

"And what, have a shootout?" Wash asked, incredulously.

Badger pulled his hat off and picked at the brim. "Now or later, a gunfight's brewin'. You can't keep 'em in there for long."

Simon stood up. "What do you mean? Why can't we? They can't get out through that door, and even if they could, they wouldn't be able to breathe."

Badger smiled and shook his head. "They're desperate. They want this ship, mate, and they're gonna' do whatever they have to to get it."

"I still don't see what they can do. . . ."

Badger stood and confronted Simon. "What if the situation were reversed? Hmm?" He glanced at Wash. "What if that was you on the shuttle, wantin' to get in here? You don't think you'd do somethin'. . . extreme?"

  
  


Zoe stepped back from the flight console.

"They're not answering," she said.

"They must know." Arlo pushed her aside. "Serenity, you will pressurize your cargo bay and open the airlock or I will start killing your people."

Dave looked at him, uncomfortably. "Boss, they ain't listening."

"What?" 

Dave waved at the panel. "We're transmitting, but they're not receiving. I think they must have communications shut down."

Arlo pushed himself away from the console, furious. He paced for a few minutes, while his crew remained silent, knowing this wasn't the time for petty bickering.

After a minute, he said, "We have to get out of here. They must have a plan to deal with us." He looked at Zoe. "What would they do?"

"Leave us all in here." 

Arlo smirked. "I doubt that."

"You left some of your people on the planet. You think we're not as ruthless?"

Arlo studied her for a minute. "You came back for that one," he said, gesturing at Mal. "Don't seem any too ruthless to me."

Zoe shrugged. "If I didn't think I could help, I would've left him behind."

Arlo glared at her for another few minutes, then said to his crew, "Search the shuttle. See if it's got pressure suits."

  
  


Wash was staring intently at his console. It showed the cargo doors still open and the airlock closed. He felt queasy. He didn't like waiting and he found himself in the unlikely position of wishing Jayne was there.

"I tell you what I'd do," Badger said, "I'd be tearin' that shuttle apart right now, lookin' for a suit, then blast open that airlock door."

Simon and Wash exchanged a worried look.

"Does the shuttle carry pressure suits?" Simon asked.

"Yeah," Wash answered. "I don't know how many."

"How can they get the airlock open?" Simon asked.

"I don't know," Wash answered. "I don't think bullets will do any good against it."

"One clever person is all it takes," Badger said.

  
  


Arlo paced around the room. "You sure this will work?"

Lux spared a glance over his shoulder. "No, but it's all we can do, unless you want to shoot at the door and kill half of us with the ricochet."

"I just want to say that I think this whole thing was a bad idea from the beginning," Dave said.

Sooner stood next to him, gazing out the cockpit windows at the Serenity. "Our ship was purtier."

Arlo whirled around. "If I hear one more word about our ship, I'm shovin' it back down your throat with a bullet. Got it?"

Sooner glowered and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine."

"Okay," Lux said. He shut the panel and looked at Arlo. "I cut the hydraulics. We should be able to push it open now."

Arlo moved past him. 

Lux said, "If the inner hatch isn't closed, all the oxygen will be sucked out of here -."

"I don't need a lesson in physics."

"I'm just sayin . . . we might want to say a few words . . . for posterity, you know."

Arlo ignored him and pushed his way through. He bent and examined the door. He turned back to Lux. "Get into that suit." 

  
  


Badger was pacing the bridge in anxiety. "I'm not a violent man by nature," he said, "but a firearm of sorts wouldn't come amiss about now."

"I don't like Ri -." He glanced awkwardly at Badger. "I don't like my . . . cousin . . . being out there alone," Simon said, glancing at the closed door.

"Where did you leave her?" Wash asked.

"In her room. I tried a new medication. It didn't work very well and I wanted her to sleep it off."

Badger continued to talk to himself. "A knife even. . . ."

"Maybe we should go get her," Simon said. 

"If they break into the ship, they'll come straight here, so I don't know that she'd be any safer up here with us."

"We have no idea how many hostiles are on that shuttle," Badger said, interrupting.

Simon turned to look at him. "It can only hold four."

"That's standard," Wash said, "but it's not weight capacity. It's a matter of life support. That shuttle can hold probably 10 to 12 people, they just couldn't breathe after about an hour."

"And they only had to get from the planet to the ship," Badger said.

"Wonderful," Simon said. "This is getting better and better."

A red light on the flight console started flashing.

"What's that mean?" Badger asked.

Wash whirled around. "The airlock's opening!"

Simon leaned over his shoulder. "Isn't the cargo door still open?"

Wash glanced at the control panel. "Yes. So, either they're suicidal, or they've gotten themselves a spacesuit or two."

  
  


Inara piloted her shuttle with an ease and precision that spoke of many hours of practice. She didn't seem bothered by the fact that parts of her engine were being held together by two disgruntled bandits whose total I.Q. points barely made it into double digits.

Jayne stood behind her, watching the Serenity grow in their window. He was agitated and impatient. They had no idea what was happening on the ship and he didn't know how they were going to get inside with the bay depressurized.

They'd broken out the handheld communicators and switched to their backup frequency before leaving the planet, and Jayne now held his to his lips. He hit the transmit switch. "Wash, you there?"

"Yes." He sounded anxious. 

"What's goin' on?"

Wash told him. 

"They're probably trying to close the doors manually," Jayne said.

"Yeah, and I can't do anything to stop them."

Jayne thought about the situation for a minute, then, "Can you keep the computer from pumping air back into the cargo bay?"

"Uh, no, it's going to do it automatically."

"I could do it, if I was there," Kaylee said.

Jayne turned around. "How?"

"From the engine room. That's the key to the ship, you know, not the bridge. If I was gonna' take over a ship, I'd go there before the bridge."

"Well, how 'bout this little oxygen problem then?" he asked.

"We don't have time to reprogram the computer, Kaylee," Wash said.

Kaylee took Jayne's wrist and pulled the communicator down to her mouth. "We don't have to. The engine room is the heart of the ship. Everything starts there, including the life support. Just gotta' block up the vents leading to the cargo bay."

  
  


Lux pulled himself along the railing, his body floating easily through the weightless environment. The doors were only a few feet away and he had every reason to believe he could close them. Maybe Arlo had a good plan after all.

He reached the wall and eased open the panel beside the door. The manual crank was there and he reached for it.

  
  


River stepped quietly along the corridor. Bad things were happening and she wanted to be with Simon. She heard running and shouting and pressed her petite frame against the wall. 

"Cargo bay doors are closing," Wash said over the intercom.

Simon held up his communicator. "We're moving as fast as we can!"

Badger raced along behind him, the engine room their destination. 

Hearing her brother, River dashed out into the corridor. 

"I can't believe this trip!" Badger yelled, waving his arms around as he ran. "You kidnap me, space my cargo, and now you've got me trying to save your - oopphh!"

Simon stopped and whirled around. 

Badger and River were lying on the floor, legs and arms entwined, wrestling clumsily and each trying to get leverage to get to their feet.

Simon leaned down to try to help River up.

"Simon!" Wash called.

Simon jerked upright,

"We're running out of time," Wash said. "You got about a minute. . . ."

Simon hesitated for a second while he examined his sisters's predicament, then, apparently determining that she would be safe enough for the moment, turned and ran down the corridor.

Badger pushed River aside and leaned against the wall. He squinted at her and she at him.

"Do I know you?" 

"You want a gun, don't you?" she said, abruptly.

He snorted. "Well, that would be lovely, now wouldn't it?"

River leaned in close to him, making him uncomfortable, and whispered, "I know where to get one."

He pushed her back. "That so?" He eyed her critically. "Got a stash somewhere then?"

She sat back. "All your pretty boxes are bouncing around the sky," she said, waving her fingers lazily through the air. "Got a tight seal on 'em, though, don't they?"

Badger's face crinkled in confusion. "So?"

She smiled. "Not so pretty very soon. They'll be all burned up if they hit atmo." Her fingers fluttered through the air again. "All sorts of colors then."

Badger squinted at her. "You're not exactly right in the head, are you, luv?"

  
  


Simon burst into the engine room and stopped in the middle of the room. He held the communicator up to his mouth.

"Okay . . . I'm here," he panted. "What do . . . I do?"

Kaylee's voice crackled over the intercom. "Find the pipes, they're above you."

Simon looked up.

  
  


Inara's shuttle eased into its berth and the clamps locked it in place. Jayne was at the hatch instantly. It still read no atmosphere.

"So, they can't get out and neither can we," Inara said. 

Book approached. "I believe this is the standoff you were referring to earlier."


	2. Chapter 2

Lux had the cargo door closed, but he still didn't have atmosphere in the bay. He had gravity, which was a plus, but it didn't help Arlo and the others get out of their shuttle. He headed for the door at the top of the stairs. If he could get that open, it would repressurize the cargo bay. The atmosphere would be thin, but breathable, as the ship pumped air into the bay from the corridor.

  
  


"I don't like this," Wash said. "I have no idea what's going on down there."

Simon's voice issued from the communicator. "Well, if I followed Kaylee's instructions properly, I think I can guarantee that they don't have air in the cargo bay."

Wash stood and started pacing. He was worried about Zoe. If they couldn't use her or Mal as bargaining chips, what was to stop them from killing either of them? 

He stopped and brought his communicator to his mouth. "Jayne?"

A moment, then, "Yeah?"

"Any ideas in that neanderthal brain of yours? Like how to get my wife back?"

"I'm workin' on it."

Wash threw his arms in the air. "Oh, great! I was worried, let me tell you. But, knowing you've got things in hand. . . ."

"I said, I'm workin' on it."

Kaylee cut in. "Wash, Jayne's gonna' get into a suit, go out, see what's goin' on."

Wash groaned and threw his head back, but the ceiling didn't offer any solutions, either.

  
  


Arlo paced the cockpit of their stolen shuttle in near fury. He'd had bad days before - an incident with Pippin, Lux, and a portable defibrillator still gave him nightmares, but today was shaping up to be in his top five.

"Maybe we should just leave," Sooner said.

Arlo stopped pacing and turned on her. "Excuse me?"

She stepped back. "Hey, I ain't complaining 'bout the ship."

Eric smirked. "For a minute there, I didn't recognize you."

"We're not leaving," Arlo said. "This ship is our best chance and we're takin' it."

Dave, feet propped on the console, turned slightly in his chair so he could look at Arlo. "We could find another ship." He shrugged. "Just take this one back down to the planet. . . ."

"We've been on that ruttin' planet for ten days. No one comes out this far."

Eric thumbed at Zoe. "They did."

Arlo thought about that for a moment, then stepped toward her and knelt in front of her. "Why were you here, anyway?"

"Business," she answered.

"With who?"

"That would be telling."

Arlo pursed his lips together. "You know, I can -."

"Hey, stop with the touching," Sooner said.

Eric scoffed. "I was not touching you."

"Were too."

"I was reaching for the coffee."

"Well maybe you ought to work on your balance. Hands were all over me, gropin' and manhandlin'. . . ."

Eric and Dave laughed. "Like we'd wanna' touch you right now."

"What?" 

Arlo groaned and rolled his eyes. "Knock it off." He returned his attention to Zoe. "There aren't too many businessmen out this way. I could name a few -."

"What does that mean?" Sooner said, outraged.

Eric gestured at her. "You're all wet and muddy and. . . ." He trailed off, obviously reconsidering his previous statement.

"Are you leering at me now?" 

"Umm . . . ." Eric glanced at Dave, but he was clearly thinking along the same lines. His head was tilted slightly and the look in his eye wasn't hard to decipher.

"Boss!" Sooner screamed.

Arlo leapt to his feet and whirled around. "What?!"

"Look at them!"

Arlo looked, briefly, then looked at Sooner. "What do you want? Special treatment? I got no time for coddling."

Her mouth dropped open in shock. "Well, I think we oughta' have some rules." She gestured at Dave and Eric. "'Bout sexual harassment. Especially by these two. I mean . . . ick!"

Eric shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm over it now."

Dave swivelled his chair around. "Me too."

Sooner crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall. "Well, I still don't like this plan."

"Neither do I, by the way," Dave said, holding up a hand. "Got a feeling someone's gonna' get shot."

Eric said, "I could get a hold of my cousin. It'd take a few months for him to reach us, but he's got a short range scow. We might have to do some work on it, but. . . ."

"Like what kind of work?" Sooner asked. "I don't like gettin' dirty. I say we go back to the planet."

"Maybe we should take a vote -."

"We are not taking a vote!" Arlo yelled. He grabbed Eric by the shirt and hauled him up close to his face. "We are going to take this ship if it kills every last one of you!" He thrust Eric away and he banged off the wall. Arlo glanced furiously at each of them. "Are we clear?!"

The crew nodded, glumly, and said nothing.

Arlo ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. He turned back to Zoe and studied her.

"You argue like this on your ship?" he asked, casually.

"No."

"That so?" he asked in disbelief.

Zoe let a tiny grin of pride tweak the corner of her mouth. "We're professionals."

  
  


In Inara's shuttle, things weren't any too calm.

"I don't like this plan," Inara said, holding the suit for Jayne while he unbuckled his gun belt.

"Only one we got," he said, shortly. 

Inara held the suit out of his reach. "You'll be alone out there. We won't be able to help you."

Jayne reached for the suit. "You don't got a better idea, do you?"

"Yes!" She moved back out of his reach. "We could detach from the ship, maneuver around to the front, and you could go in through the starboard airlock-."

"That's gonna' take more time," Jayne said, lunging and snatching the suit from her.

Kaylee said, "I could have Simon shut off the life support to other parts of the ship. That would keep 'em in the shuttle, but we gotta' be quick about it."

Inara turned to her. "Could he shut down the gravity too? If they couldn't maneuver around -."

"Neither could we," Jayne said, stepping into the suit. 

"It would handicap them," Inara said, frustrated. "Then, maybe we could negotiate with them."

"We ain't negotiating," Jayne said, firmly.

"I don't think that's your decision to make," Inara said.

"Yeah, it is." He pulled the suit up around his shoulders. "And we ain't arguing 'bout it anymore." He took his gun and belt from Kaylee. 

Book, standing near the door, abruptly bent and peered at the indicator light.

"This says we have atmosphere out there." 

Jayne moved up next to him and looked. The light went off. 

"I thought you said -."

The light came on again. 

Jayne and Book glanced at each other, puzzled.

"What the ruttin' -?" 

Inara moved to the flight console and examined the gauges. "These readings indicate we have oxygen in the cargo bay." She turned to look at them. "It's not much. About what you could expect if we had a fault in the airflow to the bay." She shook her head. "I don't know why -."

"They opened the door into the ship," Jayne said. 

Kaylee looked agitated. "You're right. That must be it."

Jayne quickly pulled the suit off and kicked it away. He strapped his gun belt around his waist.

"What are you going to do once you're out there?" Inara asked.

"Shoot all of 'em." 

Book worked the release on the door.

Inara raised an eyebrow. "That's your whole plan?"

"Yeah."

"Well, there's certainly no fat on it."

Book swung the door open. 

  
  


Simon paced around the engine room. He picked up his communicator again and said, "Wash?"

"Yes?" 

"I have to go find River." He headed for the door.

"You cannot leave the engine room," Wash said, firmly. "Especially now. They've opened a door into the ship. They'll be coming anytime."

Simon looked aghast. "What exactly am I to do down here?"

"You need to seal the door." 

Simon's eyes widened. "What?"

"There's a gun down there somewhere. We've got one in almost every section of the ship."

Simon walked to the door and paced in front of it in anxiety. He glanced into the corridor. It was empty. Why hadn't River followed him?

"Simon?" 

"Yes?" 

"Did you hear me?" 

"You were telling me to arm myself and prepare for a siege."

"Well . . . yes. It depends on how many there are, but if they're smart they'll split up - head for the bridge and engineering."

"Well, uh . . . shouldn't we perhaps go after them, then?" Simon asked.

"No. We can't let them take any of the vital areas of the ship. We have to defend them. Besides, you have more control where you are."

"I don't feel like I have an advantage of any kind down here," Simon replied. "Actually, I feel like a sitting duck."

"You can close down life support all over the ship if necessary, shut down gravity, or the engines. . . ."

"Can't you do that up there?"

"Yeah," Wash said, patiently. "Which is why I need to stay here."

Simon shook his head, then turned and glanced at the room, the communicator held to his mouth. "Where's this gun, then?"

"Uh . . . I don't know where Kaylee might have put it. You'll have to look for it."

Simon's jaw dropped open.

"Better hurry," Wash said. 

  
  


Arlo stormed through the airlock and pushed open the door that lead into the cargo bay. He raised his rifle and cautiously surveyed the area. He saw Lux a few feet away, standing in front of an open door that lead into the main body of the ship. 

Lux pulled off his helmet and waved casually.

Arlo nodded and glanced behind him. His crew stood at his back ready for the invasion.

"All right," Arlo said. "Sooner, you and Eric head for engineering. Dave, you come with me."

"What about these two?" Dave asked, indicating Zoe and Mal.

"Leave him. Take her. We may need her if we get in a scrape."

Dave reached down and hauled Zoe to her feet. Her hands were bound in front of her and she didn't look any too pleased.

Arlo stepped into the cargo bay and was quickly followed by the others. 

"What about Lux?" Sooner asked. 

Arlo turned to answer, but was cut off by a sound from across the bay. 

  
  


Jayne pushed open the outer door and crouched in the doorway. He'd been watching them through the glass and now they were all lined up like ducks on a pond. He eased his gun up, using both hands for balance, and took aim.

He let off three quick shots. The first missed Arlo as he'd stopped abruptly and turned around at the same instant. Jayne's second shot hit Eric and he jerked backwards and bounced off the wall. As he hit the ground, Jayne's third shot plowed into Sooner, throwing her back into the airlock.

Jayne paused and examined the situation. Arlo was running for the door into the main body of the ship. On the other end, he could see another gunman in the airlock, holding Zoe in front of him and trying to aim around her. She wasn't enough to protect him. Jayne could probably hit him in the head from where he was. He might hit Zoe, too, but she'd do the same if it was him. 

Another second passed while Jayne considered, then he swung his gun around and let off a barrage of shots at Arlo as he dashed along the catwalk. The bullets ricocheted off the railing, bits of fire sparking into the air. 

Two steps from safety, a bullet hit Arlo in the left arm. The impact lifted him off the walkway and spun him around in midair. He landed on his back, winded. His rifle sailed over the edge and broke itself on the floor below.

Jayne stood and took a step out of the airlock to get a better shot. A wave of light-headedness hit him and he fell back against the wall. He shook his head.

More shots reverberated around the room, several pinging off the wall next to him. He ducked and moved along the catwalk, one hand on the railing. He fired at the shuttle.

Lux was crouched in the doorway, trying to stay out of the line of fire. He'd put his suit on over his gun belt and wasn't able to reach it. Arlo was only ten feet away from him, trying to slide his bulk towards the doorway. Lux eased up, pressed his body against the wall, and peered at their shuttle. He couldn't see inside the airlock, but someone was still alive and firing a high powered rifle. Dave or Sooner. He couldn't be sure as he couldn't see either one of them.

He glanced around the edge of the door and saw Jayne firing at the shuttle. He was preoccupied and now was his chance. If only his buddies were bright enough to catch on and give him cover fire. 

Lux bolted from his protected spot and reached Arlo in two seconds. 

Jayne noticed and jerked his gun around and fired at them.

In the airlock, Dave instantly realized that Jayne wasn't firing at him anymore. Dave stood up, nudged Zoe aside, and took careful aim. He squeezed the trigger.

Jayne was up and moving. He couldn't let them get inside the ship. He ignored the bullets flying around him and shot repeatedly at Arlo and Lux. His last shot hit Lux in the shoulder, sending him catapulting backwards and out of sight. He whirled back to aim at the shuttle, but stopped abruptly as he felt something hard slam into his side. He staggered back and hit the edge of the stairs. 

Book stepped up to the door vacated only seconds ago by Jayne just in time to see him tumble down the stairs and disappear from sight. 

The amount of chaos and carnage that had happened in the last minute was shocking in its speed. The shepherd took quick stock of the situation. The heaviest resistance seemed to be coming from the shuttle. He raised his gun and fired.

Dave's last volley as he targeted Jayne's plummeting form down the stairs, ended abruptly as he was suddenly targeted from the opposite shuttle. He pushed Zoe roughly to the floor where she landed on Sooner. He threw himself to the floor behind her and settled his rifle across her back. 

Inara and Kaylee crouched in the shuttle on either side of the door. Inara cradled a shotgun in her hand. She had it on the shuttle for protection. A girl couldn't be too careful in her line of work, but this was not a situation she'd ever figured on. The shooting was continuous now. When it died down, that would mean one side was done for. If it was the enemy, well, all's well that ends well, but if it was their side. . . . Inara tightened her grip on her weapon. If Book went down, she was next in line. Although Jayne had told her to kick their bodies out of the way, close the hatch and take off, she couldn't see herself being that ruthless. Besides, seeing her crew mates gunned down and knowing that Mal was wounded and possibly still alive was not something she could easily forget. She would do what she could.

Kaylee rocked back and forth on her haunches. She didn't know what to do. She was useless in a situation like this. She knew plenty of things about machinery and engines in particular, but those kind of smarts were useless right now. She caught Inara's eye and the color drained from her face. The look of grim determination on the companion's face was not something she'd seen before. She knew then that they weren't going to leave the others, and they were all probably going to die in the next few minutes.

  
  


Zoe was in as bad a situation as she'd ever been in and she couldn't think of a way to get out of it. She was sprawled across Sooner, who was clearly no longer a threat - the gaping hole in her chest left little doubt as to her usefulness. Zoe could just see Book across the bay, shooting at them. He was aiming way too high to be effective, probably didn't want to hit her. She appreciated it, but wished he'd be a little more daring.

  
  


Pippin and Nef were gnawing at the ropes around their wrists with a diligence that Arlo might have appreciated were he there. After several minutes, the ropes fell away and they worked on the ones binding their feet. 

Pip gave Nef a rigid look, clearly implying she had a plan. 

Nef shook her head and whispered, "Your plans have ways of gettin' people killed."

Pip looked outraged. "They do not!" she whispered vehemently. 

Nef raised her eyebrows. "You got Morg and Xarin killed 'cause you couldn't figure out the dials on the pressure regulator -!" 

"Oh, who was that said we didn't need the instruction book clutterin' up the cockpit?"

"They EXPLODED in the airlock!" Nef whispered. "Took two weeks to clean up the mess."

Pip threw the ropes from her ankles aside. "I've 'bout had it with the rest of you not appreciatin' me!" 

Nef glared at her. "Keep it down."

"I'm plenty smart," she grumped. 

Nef rolled her eyes. 

  
  


In the back of the shuttle, Mal groaned and moved his head. Struggling up through the black was almost more than he was willing to go through, but he persevered and opened his eyes.

Something was going on. 

He turned his head, which made him dizzy. When the room stopped spinning he realized he was alone. He heard shooting. Definitely a 'something' going on.

He took another minute to clear his head and drag himself into a sitting position. He examined his leg and noted the tidy bandage. It was bloody, but not overly so. 

He glanced around again. He needed the first aid kit. He was going to walk on that leg no matter how much it hurt and if it killed him, but a heavy shot of morphine would be nice, all the same.

  
  


Arlo pushed himself up onto one elbow and took in the situation. Quickly realizing the grimness of their circumstances, he kicked himself backwards. He was only a foot from the doorway and he reached it fast, crawling over Lux. He grabbed the doorframe and hauled himself into the corridor. Once out of immediate danger, he looked back into the bay.

  
  


Jayne was lying on his back upside down on the stairs and wedged up against the railing. His head and left arm were dangling over the edge. Two well-placed rungs, at his side and knee, had stopped him from sliding on through and decorating the cargo floor with his insides.

He opened his eyes cautiously. His face was wet and for a few panicked seconds he thought he'd been shot in the head, then he felt the pain in his side. He moved his head, trying to work out his situation. 

He wasn't in any shape to be figuring out why everything was upside down, so he closed his eyes and decided not to think about it. He reached a hand to his face and wiped the blood away. It was running from his side, down his chest, and over his face. He realized he was upside down, hanging over the cargo bay. He wrapped an arm around the rung at his side and lifted his head. 

  
  


Badger stood in an empty corridor, rocking anxiously on his feet. River was some distance behind him, hugging the wall as though she could blend into it.

They were both armed, but he was a tiny bit agitated about her having a loaded weapon, and being behind him, but the silly girl wouldn't keep up.

"Come on, then, luv," he whispered, gesturing for her to catch up to him.

She shook her head.

He sighed and moved back to her. "Look, I'm not one for a gunfight either, but there ain't nowhere to go." He waved with his gun. "We're on a ship and they'll find us eventually. You want to be on the winning side, doncha'?"

"We're going the wrong way."

He let out a groan and rolled his eyes. "That again. Look, why don't you go hide in a closet somewhere and let me alone then? Okay?"

She grabbed his arm. "This way."

  
  


Eric opened his eyes. 

'Something weird's goin' on here. . . .'

He turned his head and his situation became distinctly clear. 

Gunshots were reverberating around the enclosed space with the obvious intention of deafening everyone in the room. Bullets zinged off the walls and railings and a few people were screaming. 

He joined them. "Aaaaggghhh -!"

He started waving his arms around in a panic.

"Hey!" a voice yelled.

The wild movements only caused his chest to hurt. Eric groaned and clutched at his shoulder. His armor was still where he'd left it, but somewhat the worse for wear. It had a dent the size of a quarter and he gasped as he realized how close it had come to taking off his head.

"Eric!"

He turned his head and saw Arlo standing in the corridor.

"Wha - ? How did - ?"

"You think you can maneuver your stupid self this way?" Arlo asked. 

Eric ignored the insult. He wasn't feeling too brisk and he needed all his concentration for the job at hand.

  
  


Lux stood in the corridor behind Arlo, a hand pressed against his shoulder, which was gushing blood at an alarming rate. His suit was unzipped down to his hip and he'd managed to pry his handgun from his holster. He held it limply in his free hand.

Arlo glanced back at him.

"You okay?"

Lux eyed him with unabashed hostility.

"Well, suck it up. We got a job to do."

He turned back in time to see Eric's awkward approach.

  
  


After a minute of thinking, Jayne recollected the last few minutes quite clearly. With a loud groan he pushed himself up and stumbled down the remaining steps. He reached the platform and dropped to his knees. His gun was there, only a few feet away.

Jayne let himself fall forward wearily, his hand wrapping itself around the comfortable grip.

He let out a relieved sigh. He was trapped in a crossfire, but a reliable gun in his hand made it not quite so bad.

He glanced up in time to see Eric exit the cargo bay. Jayne grimaced and pushed himself up to one knee. He swung his gun around and pulled the trigger.

"Whoa! Hey!" Eric yelled, covering his head.

"Get in here!" Arlo said. He reached out and latched onto Eric's arm and dragged him inside.

Eric took a few calming breaths. "That guy's a maniac! Aaahh -! Careful." 

"You bleeding?" Arlo asked.

"No. It got my armor -."

"Then shut up." Arlo turned and moved past Lux. He drew his sidearm. "We're taking this ship." 

  
  


Dave, frustrated with the situation, grabbed Zoe's jacket and heaved her up. Keeping her in front of him, he moved toward the door.

"Close it," he said.

Zoe did so, and they had their first moment of comparative safety since opening the door only minutes ago.

She turned slightly and gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Now what?"

  
  


Book glanced through the airlock. He couldn't see Dave or Zoe anymore.

"I think we can make it out of the cargo bay," Book said, "if that's our intention."

"What do you mean?" Kaylee asked.

"Mal and Zoe are still over there," he said, gesturing across the bay. "I'd rather not leave them, but I don't know what we can do at this point."

"If they take off in that shuttle, we can always follow them in ours."

"Still, accomplishing nothing."

"Maybe we should talk to them?" Kaylee suggested. "I know Jayne said -." A shocked look crossed her face. "Jayne!" 

At that moment, the shooting started anew. Kaylee rushed toward the airlock, but Book pushed her back and made for the doorway.

Nef and Pip chose that moment to attempt escape. Nef slammed into Kaylee's back, which hurled the slight mechanic into Inara.

Both women let out a surprised squeal as they collided and proceeded to collapse in an untidy heap.

Book whirled around just in time for Pip to tackle him. They sailed through the open door and into the airlock.

Pip landed on top of Book and quickly pushed herself up. She drew her hand back and punched him in the face.

Book's head snapped back and she hit him again.

She scrambled for his gun, which was still clutched in his right hand.

The shepherd jerked his gun up and aimed it at her face.

Pip shrieked and threw up her hands. "Hey, okay!"

Book pushed her off of him.

"I hit you twice," Pip grumbled. "How come you're not unconscious?"

"Because you hit like a girl," Book said. Before he could comment further, he was tackled again, this time by Nef. 

They sailed through the open door and hit the catwalk, Book's head clanging on the bottom rung of the railing loudly. His gun flew over the edge and clattered on the floor below.

Pip jumped up. "Come on!"

Nef pushed herself off of the shepherd and took off after Pip.

"I wanted his gun!" Nef said.

Pip glanced over her shoulder, noting Book getting to his feet, and Kaylee and Inara coming out of the shuttle.

"Forget it," she yelled. 

Nef looked indecisive. After a few seconds, she bolted across the catwalk and down the stairs.

"What are you doing?!" Pip screamed.

Jayne turned at the sound, wincing as he did, and saw Nef heading to the floor of the cargo bay. Pip was following.

He whipped his gun around and fired at them.

Pip screamed and covered her head as bullets ricocheted off the railing.

"Stop shooting, you big ape!"

Jayne ignored her and kept firing. He was having trouble aiming - the blood loss coupled with the thin air in the bay was making him light-headed. He leaned forward and steadied his gun with both hands.

Nef shot off the last four steps of the stairs and hit the floor of the cargo bay with a bone-crunching impact.

"Oww!" 

Jayne took the opportunity of her brief immobility to shoot at her again.

Nef, however, chose that moment to struggle to her feet and the bullet skimmed past her head, just grazing the scalp. The impact was enough to knock her out, however, and she jerked backward and landed on her back.

Jayne eased up to the edge to get a better look. He didn't have time for these two, armed men were in the main body of the ship, likely heading for the bridge.

Pip sprinted out, grabbed Nef by the shoulders, and pulled her across the floor.

Jayne noticed and started shooting. Pip started screaming again.

It only lasted a second, however, because Jayne collapsed, just catching himself with his hands before he went over the edge of the platform.

Pip noticed immediately. She glanced at Jayne, then at the handgun on the floor. She didn't hesitate, but darted out, retrieved the gun, and dropped it on Nef's stomach. She then grabbed her friend under the shoulders and hauled her out of danger. 

She reached the door, hit the control, and dragged Nef through and safely into the corridor.

"Jayne!" 

Jayne turned to look. Book and the others were rushing headlong down the stairs after him. He glanced at the other shuttle. If they came out now they'd have easy pickings.

"You gone stupid or somethin'?" Jayne asked, when they reached him. He gestured with his left arm. "They coulda' shot every one of you!"

"We need to get you to the infirmary," Book said, ignoring Jayne's rebuke.

"They come out of there now. . . ." 

"Then, we need to get out of here, don't you think?" Book said, reasonably.

Jayne shook his head, but allowed the shepherd to pull him to his feet. 

  
  


Wash, standing at the open door of the bridge, eased back inside. He closed the door and locked it. For the last few minutes, he'd been listening to the gunfight in the bay. It had died down a few minutes ago, which meant they'd won, or he was going to have visitors real soon. He nervously fingered the gun in his hand. It was his only defense. 

Wash gazed at the small weapon. Should be bigger, he thought. Something more howitzer-like in nature. He'd have to talk to Mal about re-arming the bridge. If any of them survived the day. . . .

  
  


Jayne stood in the relative safety of the corridor, leaning against the wall. Book and Inara guarded both ends of the corridor. Jayne would've laughed at the absurdity of it had he felt better. He looked down at Kaylee. She was packing a thick wad of gauze against his side. She was moving as fast as she could, but not fast enough for Jayne.

"Hurry up," he said.

"I'm tryin', Jayne. Just stop movin' around."

He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. He could've made it to the bridge by now, but he'd had to give up when everyone had refused to take another step until a little first aid had been dispensed. 

"Put your hand here," Kaylee said, grabbing his hand. She proceeded to wrap a heavy amount of bandage around his waist, tightening it until he let out a groan.

"Too tight," he gasped.

"No it ain't," Kaylee replied. 

"I gotta' be able to move."

"I ain't gonna' have you bleeding to death before Simon can get to you. Now stop complaining and hold still."

Jayne shut up. This was not the crew he wanted if the ship was overrun. Chasing the boarders down and shooting every last one of them was the best plan he could think of, but it didn't take into account the inexperienced shooters he'd be dragging along with him. He needed to be smart - had to use his brain and the resources he had. 

He looked at Inara. "Seal all the doors leading into the cargo bay. I don't want anyone getting out of there."

"But, Mal and Zoe -."

"Could be dead," he said, tiredly. "Don't argue with me. Got no time for explaining."

Inara nodded, willing to acknowledge his authority in the matter.

"Be quick. Don't know where those girls got to or how smart they are. You follow after us real fast, you hear?"

Inara nodded again. 

Jayne pushed himself off the wall. "You two come with me."

  
  


Inside the airlock Zoe and Dave were still hold up. Dave was fidgeting.

"You should just give up," Zoe said, noticing his agitation. "It was a good try, but there's nothing more you can do."

Dave groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Your leader seems a bit overzealous," Zoe said, casually. "That kind always gets others killed."

Dave stopped and glared at her. "And you would know, I suppose."

"Yes." 

He went back to his pacing and she watched him for a minute.

"Do you owe him something?" she asked.

"What?"

"You seem like you owe him your life or at least your job."

Dave looked offended. "I don't owe him nothin'!"

"Then, why stay here when you're outnumbered and have nothing to gain? If you don't owe him anything. . . ."

Dave stared at her for a minute, then a resolved look crossed his face. He took a step toward her, grabbed her arm, and said, "You convinced me. Let's go."

He pushed her back toward the door into the ship. Zoe opened it and stepped inside.

Mal stood in her way.

She stood immobile for a fraction of a second, then tried to move sideways.

Dave saw Mal at almost the same time as Zoe. He let out a startled gasp and gripped her arm tighter, pulling her in front of him.

Mal raised the small gun and took aim.

Dave smirked. "That ain't much of a weapon." He frowned. "Where'd it come from?"

"I like to be prepared," Mal said, quietly.

Dave took on a determined look and clutched Zoe tighter to him. "I'm thinkin' this here's a situation where negotiating might be in order."

The two men stared at one another for perhaps five seconds, then:

"I don't," Mal said, and squeezed the trigger.

The booming explosion of the shot shattered the tense silence.

The bullet hit Zoe directly in the chest, the impact flinging her back with enough force to knock Dave off his feet.

As they collapsed, Dave struggled in panic to get out from under her. He had a final second to realize that a cramped metal tomb would be his last sight in this life.

Mal took a step forward and pulled the trigger again.

Dave jerked back as the bullet slammed into his chest. His head hit the flight console, his chin dropping to his chest. His eyes fluttered for a moment as he watched the blood ooze from the hole in his chest, then closed, a final sigh escaping his lips.

Mal moved quickly, hopping on one leg, and stood over the outlaw, his gun aiming at his head. When he was satisfied that no further resistence would be forthcoming, he turned his head fractionally and glanced at Zoe.

"You okay?" he asked.

She groaned and let her fingers gingerly poke at the dent in her vest. 

"You shot me, sir," she mumbled.

"Yeah." He looked around. All the activity was making him dizzy.

"Can't say that makes for good captain-crew relations, sir," she said, pushing herself up on one elbow.

Mal raised a hand to his eyes and rubbed them. "Hey, who's bleeding here?" he said, absently.

Zoe got to her feet, plucking at the bullet embedded in her vest. She pried it out and held it up.

"I think I'll keep this," she said, conversationally, looking at Mal. "I may want to bring it up again sometime."

Mal nodded. "Great." He gestured at the door. "Now, can we go get my ship back? It gives me a prickly feelin', thinking 'bout Jayne in charge of the assault out there."

She held up her hands for him to untie. "Right behind you, sir."

  
  


Jayne stopped abruptly, halfway to the bridge, and a few steps from the galley.

"What is it?" Book whispered.

Jayne glanced around warily. He could hear banging. It was coming from the bridge where Arlo and the others were likely trying to beat the door down.

He crouched and motioned for Book and Kaylee to do likewise.

"They know they're gonna' be trapped at the top of the stairs if they can't get inside," Jayne answered.

Book glanced nervously around. "You think they left someone out here to catch us in a crossfire?"

Jayne put his back to the wall and eyed all the possible hiding places in front of them.

"It's what I'd do," he answered. He gestured at the shepherd. "Get on the other side of the corridor and stay behind me."

Book moved to comply and took up position across from Jayne.

Jayne glanced back at Kaylee, then at Book. "How you doin' on ammo?"

"I'm all right. I have Kaylee's gun. You?"

"I got plenty," Jayne answered.

Kaylee stared at him, stunned. "How could you possibly know this was gonna' happen?"

"Whadya' mean?"

"Jayne, you have enough ammo to massacre a small town," she said, exasperated.

"So?" He frowned, not getting her point. "It's what I always carry. Seems to me you outta' be appreciatin' that right about now. . . ."

She looked sheepish. 

Jayne looked uncomfortable. Decision-making wasn't his strong point. A straightforward shoot-out was all he really wanted. Strategy didn't suit him. He was also feeling a mite sickly. He had to end this quick.

He looked at Kaylee. "You stay low and do what I say." 

  
  


Pip stopped and dropped Nef to the ground. She'd dragged her through several corridors and even down a ladder and now she was exhausted. Pip sagged to the floor and leaned against the wall. 

She was alone with her thoughts for only a few minutes before Nef awakened.

She moaned and immediately reached a hand to her head.

"You got shot," Pip said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

Nef squeezed her eyes shut and continued to make noises.

"All that moanin' ain't gonna' do you no good," Pip said. "So, you might as well stop."

Nef let that sink in, then gently turned her head to face Pip. "Just shut up," she mumbled.

Pip looked irritated. "I saved your life, you know."

"Yeah, well I saved your life back on Arachne."

Pip rolled her eyes. "That was like . . . three years ago! Are you ever gonna' let that go?"

"Well, now we're even."

They sat in silence for a few minutes while Nef prodded the area around her wound and Pip glared. 

Eventually, Pip said, "It's messy."

"Thanks, I figured."

"Don't see how you're ever gonna' get a date with that nasty thing in your forehead now. . . ."

Nef opened her eyes and frowned at her. "I don't need the commentary, okay?"

Pip shrugged and looked around. "What should we do now?"

"We need a gun." 

Pip smiled and held her gun up. "Got one."

Nef eyed her unenthusiastically. "And we need to get back to the shuttle."

"It's kind of a firefight back there if you didn't notice before," Pip said, aiming a thumb along the corridor behind her.

"I don't hear anything."

Pip listened. "Must be reloading."

They listened for another few seconds, then looked enquiringly at each other.

"You wanna' go back, then?" Pip asked.

Nef eased herself into a sitting position. Stars danced around the periphery of her vision, but she ignored them. "No."

"You just said -." 

"Well, I had time to think about it. I'm going to the engine room."

"Wha - well, what for?"

Nef got to her hands and knees and prepared to gently push herself to her feet. She gave Pip a glance. "To take it over."

  
  


Wash paced the bridge in anxiety. He could see him through the glass in the door, banging at the window, trying to break in. They obviously hadn't come prepared or they might have had something that could penetrate the door. It was the only bright moment Wash could see in an otherwise really rotten day.

He raised his communicator to his lips.

"Simon?"

"Yeah?"

"Anything going on down there? A takeover maybe?" Wash asked, dryly.

"Nothing yet. The shooting's stopped, though," he said, hopefully.

"That's because they're up here with me, trying to beat the door down."

Simon's agitated voice came back at him, "What? Can you get out of there?"

Wash sighed. "Yeah, but I'll have to disable things up here." He looked at the console. "I don't want to do that unless I have to. Besides," he said, glancing at the door. "It looks like there's just the one. I could kick the door open and try shooting him. . . ."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Me neither."

"There could be more."

"Yeah." 

"You can't wait too long." 

Wash agreed. "Well, that's the tricky part all right. . . ." His gaze traveled back to the door as fresh and more persistent banging started again.

  
  


Badger eased along the corridor, following River, whom he'd given up on figuring out quite sometime ago.

His impatience got the better of him and he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Wanna' do a little sharin', luv?" 

She put a finger over her lips. "Shhh." She smiled, a look of glee on her face. "Everyone's hiding."

Badger looked around in annoyance. "Yeah, well, it's a good idea, you ask me." He waved his gun around negligently. "I'm startin' to reconsider this shoot-out business, especially since the shootin' seems to have died down a bit."

"Simon's in the engine room." She leaned in to whisper into his ear, her hair brushing against his cheek. "We need to help him. He's not very technical."

Badger pulled back. "What? Is there somethin' wrong with the ship, then?"

"We have to hurry." She took his hand and started running.

  
  


"I'm gonna' bleed to death," Lux mumbled to himself. He was crouched in the doorway of the galley, awaiting the inevitable. Behind him, the corridor led directly to the bridge, which he could see was closed up tight.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and tightened his grip on his handgun. It seemed terribly inadequate, considering the psychopath that was after them.

Arlo came up behind him.

"Well?" Lux asked. 

Arlo shook his head. "We need a blowtorch to get through that door. Or a hostage."

"Well, we don't got either one."

Arlo considered for a bit, then said, "I'm gonna' try again."

He glanced over his shoulder. "We're all gonna' die here. You know that, don't you?"

Arlo fixed him with a murderous glare. "I can kill you or they can. You pick."

Lux shook his head and turned back around. He didn't like being the first line of defense. It didn't seem fair. He was the one with the brains, after all. 

  
  
  
  


Eric eased back into the connecting passageway, clutching his handgun with one hand and his chest with the other. He felt like he had a welt the size of a melon on his chest and the certainty that they were all going to be dead by the end of the day wasn't helping his mood any.

From his position he could see the bridge and the galley. He looked back along the corridor behind him. He wasn't sure, but he thought it probably lead to the engine room or possibly the cargo bay. Whichever, he meant to use it if things got too bad. It was the only bright spot he could see in his situation, but it had the potential to turn bad as someone could easily flank him. He set himself comfortably, allowing himself to see the galley while keeping a wary eye towards his own defense. 


	3. Chapter 3

Inara heaved the last door closed and locked it. The cargo bay was effectively sealed off. She turned and headed for the bridge, her shotgun clutched firmly in both hands. A tiny bit of pride made her smile at the thought that Jayne considered her capable enough to guard their backs. 

She sighed and glanced skyward in self-scorn. Things needed to get back to normal quick, before she started putting Jayne on a heroic pedestal he wouldn't be able to live up to. She smirked as she realized he wouldn't have the balance for it.

  
  


In the cargo bay, the airlock door opened slowly.

"Coming out!" Zoe yelled.

Zoe took one step out of the shuttle and glanced around. The bay seemed to be deserted. Blood and shell casings littered the floor and catwalks. It had obviously been messy.

Zoe eased out of the airlock and moved to the railing. Mal came out after her, limping and carrying a handgun. Zoe grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the railing where he gripped it tightly and proceeded to sway about.

Zoe closed the airlock door. She knelt and picked up a discarded rifle, checked that it was loaded, and turned to Mal.

"Sir, maybe you should stay here."

Mal shook his head.

Zoe accepted his decision quickly. "I think they would head for the bridge, sir, and I think Jayne would figure that too."

Mal nodded. "Don't figure Jayne'd leave anyone alive behind him that might be a threat."

"No, sir. I'm assuming we're locked in here. Haven't checked yet."

Mal straightened and looked around. "I'm thinkin' that too." He pushed himself along the railing, heading for the stairs. 

"If that's the case, sir, we won't have much air in here, either."

"Anything else?" he asked, annoyed.

She followed him. "Well, sir, all this going on, I don't see how we can make our rendezvous."

"Ain't much of a rendezvous without a cargo."

"Didn't want to mention that, sir. Figured you had enough troubles."

"Always lookin' out for me, Zoe."

"What I'm here for, sir," she said, taking his arm. Together, they made their way to the first door. 

  
  


Badger stopped just short of a T-shaped branch in the corridor and glared at it, clearly assuming something bad was awaiting him.

River crept up next to him and whispered, "This is the wrong way."

Badger groaned and threw his head back. "Do you think you could possibly be any less helpful?" He motioned with his free hand. "Maybe you'd like to lead the way?"

She stared at him.

"No?" He started walking again. "I know this class of ship fairly well. This is the quickest way." He motioned for her to follow.

"This is the bad way. . . ."

Badger shook his head. "You want us to get there in time to do some good, doncha'?"

"We'll be scrubbing for a long time. . . ."

Badger stopped and turned on her. "What does that mean, then?" He leaned toward her. "Did you get a full set 'o wiring up here, luv?" he asked, motioning at his head with his gun.

She didn't answer, so he sighed loudly and turned around. 

He didn't take another step, as Pip and Nef entered the corridor ahead of him, moving with determination.

They saw each other at the same time.

The unexpected encounter was startling and violent as all three reacted simultaneously, bringing their guns up and firing with little regard for accuracy. 

Pip fired continuously as she ran past them, heading down the corridor ahead, with Nef just ahead of her.

Badger, knowing instantly that he had no cover, rushed forward, bellowing and perforating the far wall with most of his bullets.

  
  


Wash slowly opened the door of the bridge and peered out. He nervously clutched his handgun, hoping he wouldn't have to use it. They'd been gone awhile, leaving him to wonder if they'd been killed or had decided the bridge wasn't worth the effort.

He crept through the door and looked around cautiously. Noting nothing untoward, so he moved quietly down the ladder. He saw them instantly, positioned at the doorway to the galley, their backs to him.

He glanced back at the open bridge, agonizing over leaving his position.

Another burst of gunfire in the distance made up his mind.

Wash raised his gun, gripping it firmly with both hands, and eased up to the corridor.

  
  


Jayne was crouched and leaning around the doorway of the galley, firing nonstop across the length of the room at Lux and Arlo, who were positioned in the opposite doorway.

Behind him, Book was standing, doing the same.

The firing continued for another few seconds, then both sides drew back to reload and consider the situation.

Jayne and Book exchanged a look. 

"We ain't gettin' anywhere like this," Jayne said.

Book nodded. "Do you have a plan?"

Jayne glanced into the room, then back to the shepherd. "I'm goin' in. I think I can reach the other side -."

"And likely get killed in the process."

Jayne opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by gunfire. He jerked his gun up, but suddenly realized the shooting wasn't directed at them. 

He gave Book a puzzled look.

"Someone's behind them," Book said.

"Wash. We got 'em in a crossfire."

Seeing his instant advantage, Jayne leapt up and rushed inside.

Book glanced at Kaylee. "Better stay here."

She nodded and watched him disappear into the room.

Halfway across the room, Lux noticed Jayne and turned to shoot at him. Jayne fired in return and threw himself against the wall. Bullets tore up the wall behind him as he moved just ahead of them. He lost his balance and hit the floor hard.

He groaned as he landed and the room dimmed around him. The shooting faded away as he briefly lost his grip on consciousness.

  
  


Eric was the first to notice the shooter behind them. "Wha -? Hey!" He spun around and fired at Wash. 

Wash gave up his position and dashed back to the stairs. Taking them three at a time, he barricaded himself inside the bridge in seconds.

Lux and Arlo turned to shoot, as well, and all three perforated the door as Wash struggled to close it.

Arlo jumped to his feet and sprinted up the corridor. He leapt onto the stairs and threw himself at the door just as Wash slammed the lock in place.

Arlo beat on the door in a rage, then stopped and glared through the glass at Wash. 

The two men shared a moment of solemn resolve, each determined to win in the end.

Arlo nodded slightly, then backed away and returned to his men. 

The shooting had died down from all points, and everyone seemed willing to take a moment to gather their wits and analyze the situation. 

  
  


"You hear that?" Pip asked.

"How could I not?" Nef replied. She was stalking along the corridor, still holding her throbbing head.

"It's coming from everywhere," Pip said.

"We gotta' think of a way to get inside the engine room."

"Yeah."

Nef rolled her eyes. "Well?"

"What?" 

"My brains are 'bout to come spilling out o' my head here!" she said, stopping and turning on Pip. "Would it kill you to stop and think for a minute?"

Pip looked appalled. "I gotta' think now!?"

Nef groaned and closed her eyes. 

Pip folded her arms over her chest. "I didn't sign up with this crew to use my brains."

"Good thing, too, or we'd a' all been dead a long time ago."

"I can do lots of things," Pip protested.

"Everybody can do lots of things!" Nef screamed. "I can do lots of things! The difference is, I do 'em good."

"I'm good at stuff."

"Oh, what's that? The stunning ability to miss everything you aim at?"

Pip huffed and moved past her. "Well maybe we ought to tally up the things you're good at. Let's see, there's griping, um . . . bein' in a bad mood longer than anyone I've EVER met!"

"It's the company I keep," Nef shot back. She followed Pip down the corridor. "Taking up the slack for certain other people all the time would make anyone grouchy. . . ."

Pip gasped in outrage. "I got skills, you know. . . ."

"You didn't even hit that guy back there," Nef said, thumbing over her shoulder. 

"He surprised me. And, you don't know if I hit him or not."

Nef groaned. "Fine." She stopped.

"What?" Pip asked.

Nef continued to stare into space, obviously forming an idea.

"Gonna' share?" Pip asked, looking anxiously around the corner. That guy in the bowler worried her.

"There ain't too many of 'em. . . ."

"So?

"And the big one's hurt."

Pip smiled. "Maybe he'll fall over dead soon."

"He's only got them two girls and a preacher."

Pip frowned. "What's your point?"

"My point is, maybe we ought to go catch up to the others."

"I thought you wanted to take over the engine room?"

"Yeah, but that was before I thought about it some more." Nef glanced around the corridor. "You got any idea how to get to the bridge from here?"

Pip looked. "Yeah. This is ain't that much different than our ship."

"If they're still shooting up there," Nef said, gesturing, "we might be able to come up behind 'em and flank 'em."

Pip smiled. "Okay." She started walking and Nef followed. 

"'Cept, we only got one gun," Pip said, after a minute.

"Then, I better do the shooting. . . ."

  
  


Muffled gunfire greeted Jayne as he crawled back into the world of the semi-alert. Everything was dull and indistinct: the noise, the ceiling and walls, the floor under him - it all felt not quite substantial. The smell was the first thing to become sharp. It smelled like . . . gun powder. 

With that sudden realization, everything came into sharp focus with a rush that set his head to pounding. The roar of discharging guns in the tight space jerked him to full awareness and he tried to push himself up. A hand on his back kept him down, not with any amount of strength, just a firmness that insisted he stay where he was. 

Jayne turned his head and saw Kaylee was crouched beside him, trying to keep low. She looked pale.

The bullets impacting around both of them galvanized him into action. He rolled over, grabbed her around the waist, and dragged her down beside him on the floor.

Jayne glanced past her, noting the bullets hitting around them were misses directed at Book, who was at the far doorway.

Jayne looked at Kaylee. "What are you doin' in here?" he asked, hoarsely. 

She looked upset. "When you . . . went down, Book jumped right in and kept shootin'," she said. "You were out here all alone. . . ."

"How long I been out?" he asked, scanning the floor for his gun.

"Ten minutes, about," she answered. She handed him his gun.

He took it, giving her a quick look.

"I did a little shooting," she said, nodding. "Don't know how much help it was. . . ."

"I ain't dead, so it musta' been good enough," he said. He pushed himself up to his knees and a wave of dizziness hit him. He reached a hand to the wall.

Kaylee grabbed him. "Jayne, you gotta' stay here."

"Get back in the corridor," he told her.

"You've lost a lot of blood, Jayne. . . ."

He ignored her again, and, using the wall for support, pushed himself up. He leaned against it for nearly a minute before he realized Kaylee was still standing in front of him.

"Go on, git."

She frowned, not wanting to argue with him, but not wanting to leave him alone, either.

Before she could make a decision, Book turned toward them and leaned against the wall. He noticed Jayne was on his feet.

"Are you all right?"

Jayne nodded. "What's goin' on?"

"One is in the adjoining corridor, the other two are backed up in the alcove near the bridge."

"Wash?"

"Locked in the bridge." Book motioned with his head, indicating the corridor. "They're dug in quite comfortably, I'd say. Looks like they can sit there for awhile. Until they run out of ammunition, that is."

"And we don't know when that might be," Kaylee said.

Jayne sagged against the wall and slid down.

"Jayne!"

"'m all right," he mumbled.

"No, you ain't." She leaned over him and tried to check his bandage. 

"Leave me alone." 

"Stop bein' so ornery, Jayne."

"If you'd stop motherin' me. . . ." 

"I ain't motherin' you."

Book cleared his throat. 

Jayne and Kaylee glanced at him. 

"This really isn't the most opportune time for an argument."

"Well, he ain't cooperatin'. . . ."

Jayne glared at her. "I told you to get back in the corridor."

"Well, I can't do no good in there."

"You could get shot in here," Jayne said, angrily.

"There ain't no shootin' goin' on right now."

Jayne groaned, more exasperated than pained, and leaned his head against the wall. They were in a standoff and he couldn't think of anything to do but wait and see who ran out of ammunition first. 

"Pull that door half closed, shepherd," he said.

  
  


Inara eased along the corridor. She was near the galley and didn't want to get shot. As she cautiously rounded the corner, she saw Jayne and Kaylee sitting in the doorway. Jayne motioned for her to join them.

She crouched beside him. "You don't look so good."

"You get the cargo bay locked up?"

"Yes." She glanced around. "What's going on?"

"Standoff."

Kaylee pointed. "They're all in the corridor there. Wash's on the bridge."

Inara leaned to look and Jayne put a hand on her arm and pushed her back. "Stay out of the line of fire."

"You're in the line of fire," she replied.

"That's 'cause I'm shootin' at 'em." 

"Not right now." She looked at Kaylee. "I think we should move him."

"I ain't movin'."

"You can still shoot from the other side of the doorway."

"I got a good view of both corridors from here."

Inara looked behind her. "I can watch this one."

Jayne didn't answer.

"Well?"

"I said I ain't movin'. I gotta' keep repeatin' myself now?"

Inara sighed and rolled her eyes. She grabbed Jayne by the arm and started pulling.

"'Nara -! Damn it! Aaaggh!"

"Stop fighting." She continued to pull him across the floor and Kaylee leapt in to help her. Together, they managed to drag him to the other side of the doorway where they leaned him against the wall and then set back to see how he'd taken it.

Jayne squeezed his eyes shut a few times, willing the stars to go away, then slowly focused on Inara and Kaylee.

". . . don't think he can keep this up much longer. . . ."

". . .so stubborn. . . ."

Jayne shook his head. "Stop talkin' 'bout me like I ain't here."

"Well, you weren't for a minute, Jayne," Inara said.

She picked up her shotgun and moved to Jayne's old position.

He eyed her but didn't say anything. He turned his attention to the corridor leading to the cargo bay.

  
  


Pip and Nef, after a lengthy argument about who should have the gun, eventually reached the corridor leading to the bridge. 

Nef, carrying their only weapon, eased around the corner. A gunshot chipped away at the wall and she leapt back.

"Found 'em, I guess," Pip said.

Nef glared at her. 

"Want me to shoot some?"

"We can't afford to waste the bullets."

Pip's mouth dropped open in outrage, but she didn't get another word out as Nef crouched, leaned around the corner, and fired.

  
  


Jayne and Inara returned fire, but were immediately shot at from the opposite corridor by Lux and Arlo. 

Book shot at the two of them, choosing his shots sparingly. 

"Help the shepherd," Jayne said, and fired into the corridor again.

Inara didn't question him. Jayne whipped his gun around and fired into the opposite corridor, giving her cover fire as she dashed across the room. Once she reached the other entrance, he turned and continued firing at Nef and Pip.

Inara stood and carefully let off a shot into the corridor, then leapt back as return fire thudded into the door in front of her.

  
  


Several minutes later the firefight died down and a grim quiet settled over the galley as no one dared move, lest they inadvertently instigate another round of shooting. The smoke drifted up towards the ceiling and quickly disappeared as it was sucked through the ventilation system.

Jayne reloaded his gun, noting that he was starting to run low on ammunition. His hands were covered in blood and mud and he was shaking like an old man. His aim today wasn't anything to brag about, but he did have a few drawbacks to contend with, namely a gunshot wound in the side. He slammed the clip home, eased up to the edge of the door, and peered down the corridor.

It was empty. 

Jayne stayed where he was, keeping watch. Those girls weren't predictable in any way he could fathom. If there was a sensible thing to do, they seemed to do the opposite. If it had been him, he would've gone straight to the engine room. He stopped and thought about that. After a minute, he called Kaylee to him.

She crawled up next to him. 

"You still got the radio?"

"Uh-huh." She pulled it from her belt and handed it to him.

"Jayne, why don't you just pull the door closed behind us?"

"'Cause then they'd just up and leave and I wouldn't know where they were. You want 'em runnin' round the ship?"

"Guess not."

Jayne brought the radio up to his mouth. "Doc?"

Two seconds elapsed, then Simon was on the other end, sounding anxious. "Yes?"

"You got anything goin' on down there?"

"No. It's very quiet."

Jayne considered. He was about to make a tactical decision, but he wasn't sure if it was bold or stupid. Either way, he could only do it and live with the consequences.

"I want you to leave the engine room and come up the corridor to the bridge, real slow like."

"Excuse me?" 

"We got just about everyone up here with us right now. I got three trapped between us and the bridge, but now we're trapped between here and the cargo bay. I got two shooters behind us and I don't want 'em runnin' around the ship when I can't go after 'em."

"Okaaay. What do you want me to do?"

Jayne told him. 

  
  


Mal and Zoe stood on the catwalk, determining a course of action.

"One of us needs to go outside the ship, come in through the airlock."

Zoe nodded. "I'll go."

Mal didn't argue. He had enough sense to know he'd never make it with a hole in his leg. 

"You're gonna' have to go forward a ways."

"I know." Zoe handed Mal the rifle she'd taken from Dave, and took his handgun. She then took his arm and helped him back to the shuttle. 

"If somethin' happens out there, do what you gotta' do, Zoe, don't bother wasting time coming after me."

"I won't, sir." 

  
  


Simon reached the branch in the corridor and heard the girls immediately. They were arguing about which one of them was a better shot and whether they should stay where they were.

Simon cautiously approached the corridor and looked around the corner. 

They were positioned at the far corner, intently peering around the edge. 

Simon took hold of the door and pulled it closed. 

Nef and Pip jumped to their feet.

"Hey!"

Nef fired and the bullets ricocheted off the door. 

"Watch it!" Pip screamed. She dropped to the floor and covered her head.

Nef quickly realized their situation was bad. She stopped firing and crouched at the branch in the corridor. If they went around, the group in the galley had a clear shot at them, and if they moved back to try to get through the door, they'd likely get shot. Nef cradled her gun and glanced at Pip.

Pip raised her head and cautiously examined their predicament. 

"This sucks," she said.

  
  


Simon watched them through the door. He couldn't lock it from his side, but it didn't matter. They were still trapped as long as he was on this side. If they tried to open the door, he'd be there to shoot them. That meant he couldn't leave, however. 

Simon shook his head. "This is no place for a doctor."

  
  


Jayne slammed the door shut and locked it. He then sagged to the floor.

Kaylee stood and peered through the glass. She couldn't see the girls who had been shooting at them. She glanced down at Jayne.

"That was real clever, Jayne."

He grunted.

"It was. You got 'em trapped and now we don't gotta' worry 'bout 'em anymore."

Jayne eyed the opposite doorway. "Need to take care of those three up there."

Kaylee glanced over her shoulder, then back to Jayne. "How?"

"I'm thinkin' 'bout it."

  
  


Zoe moved along the hull of the ship, passing hatches that would be no use to her. Once outside, she'd decided to go straight to the forward airlocks. It would take a little bit longer to make the trip forward, but she didn't have a clear picture of the situation and dropping into the middle of a gunfight didn't fill her with joy. She hoped to arrive before the only thing left to do was organize a deck-scrubbing party.

  
  


Badger stopped and leaned against the wall. He put a hand to his arm, holding it tight. A small trickle of blood oozed from the wound, and he let out a groan.

"I told you," River said, staring at his injury.

"You got a problem with bein' specific, you know that?"

"It's not that bad," she replied, reaching for his arm. "Just a little scratch. Nothing to cry over."

Badger frowned and jerked away from her. "I am not crying!"

She shook her head. "We're leaving breadcrumbs. . . ." She trailed off, gazing at the floor.

Badger followed her gaze. There were little drops of blood on the deck as far back as he could see. He looked at her. "You call this a little scratch, then, do you?" he said, holding his arm up.

She rolled her eyes. "Keep pressure on it and we won't have to amputate it later."

Badger gaped at her. "You know how to comfort a bloke, don't you?"

River turned and stared into space, clearly thinking thoughts only she could comprehend. 

Badger seemed to realize this, and said, "Calculating the fuel consumption rate for the ship, are you, luv?"

She turned back. "We need to go to the cargo bay."

Badger groaned and tossed his head back to stare at the ceiling just long enough for her to get the idea he was exasperated. 

"Don't be melodramatic," she said. "It's not attractive."

"Anymore little side trips you wanna' thrown into our itinerary, luv? I don't think I've seen the whole ship yet and my arm's got a good hour before it falls off at the elbow."

River made a face that he couldn't fail to misinterpret as disgust, and stalked away.

"Hey, wait up, then. . . ." 

  
  


In the galley, everyone had settled into a restless state of waiting, anticipating the next round of gunfire. 

Thirty minutes passed with no movement from either side.

Kaylee eased up next to Jayne. 

"This what a gunfight's like?"

"Whaddya' mean?" 

"Well, we ain't doin' nothin'."

"Ain't nothin' to do until they come out where we can shoot 'em."

Kaylee nodded. 

Jayne closed his eyes and tried to think up a strategy. Every scenario he imagined always ended with their bullet-riddled bodies being dragged to the nearest airlock by Mal and Zoe and shot into space. He always knew he'd have a violent death, but he'd be damned if it'd be today. 

Waiting seemed to be their best option at the moment, so he tried to get comfortable.

  
  


Zoe reached the forward airlock, starboard, and worked the release on the door. Once inside, she quickly repressurized the small room and removed her helmet. She strode quickly to the door letting into the ship and tried to open it.

It was locked.

She tried again.

Definitely locked.

She peered through the window. 

Nothing.

She stepped back and considered. The airlocks were only locked manually or by the computer if environmental conditions were not tolerable. As far as she knew, the ship was intact, which meant someone had locked the airlocks next to the bridge.

Zoe shook her head. She should have thought of it sooner. The Serenity crew was working against each other. Wash had obviously locked them, hoping to keep any boarders from doing what she'd just done. 

She let out a breath and started pacing the tiny room, considering her options. She could stay where she was and hope Wash noticed her in here and came to unlock the door, go back to the cargo bay, or try to come in elsewhere on the ship. The problem with that last one was timing and discretion. Choosing poorly in either category could end in a messy shootout. Besides, there was no telling how many airlocks got the same treatment. Jayne could have easily made the same decision and locked up the other ones.

She decided to stay where she was for the moment.

  
  


Book sighed quietly and eased into a sitting position on the floor. He'd been watching the corridor for nearly an hour, with no noticeable movement from the other end.

Inara was on the other side of the doorway, nervously clutching her shotgun. She divided her attention between the corridor and each of her comrades, all of which were looking much the worse for wear.

Kaylee sat next to Jayne, periodically fussing with his bandages and checking to see if he was still breathing. He'd passed out sometime ago, with his head on her shoulder and most of his weight leaning against her.

"How is he?" Inara asked.

Kaylee glanced up and shrugged helplessly. 

Inara looked at Book. "Do you think we should do something?"

"Do you have something in mind?" he asked.

"Nothing that wouldn't likely lead to all of our deaths," she replied. "I thought you might have a plan."

Book smiled gently. "They didn't really teach aggressive situational tactics at the Abbey."

She nodded, then peered around the doorway.

"Careful."

She turned back to him. "Can you tell what they're doing?"

"I can see their shadows. All three are in the alcove in front of the bridge. Two of them aren't moving too much, but the other one is pacing."

"Maybe we should start shooting."

Book nodded toward the corridor. "I figure they'll get bold again in another few minutes. Might as well wait for them."

  
  


"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Pip asked.

"I doubt it," Nef replied.

"I'm thinking we need to do some shooting." She gestured at the door which Simon hid behind. "I think we can take that guy. What do you think?"

"I think we should just stay put."

"I don't think Arlo would be very happy with us."

"Pity about that," Nef replied. She put a hand to her head. It was still throbbing persistently, threatening to explode at any minute.

"You think he's still gonna' pay us for this month?" Pip asked.

Nef stared at her. 

Pip looked indignant. "Well, it's not like any of this is our fault." 

  
  


"You know where that leads?" Arlo asked Eric, motioning with his head. 

Eric stopped pacing and glanced down the corridor. 

"You mean the connecting corridor?"

"Yeah." 

"The aft section, probably. Maybe the engine room."

Arlo nodded. "I still want the bridge." He looked around, silently studying their status. "I don't know who's behind them, but it's gotta' be one of us. Dave, maybe." He rubbed a hand over his eyes. His arm was aching with a fierce persistence that left him feeling slightly nauseous. He'd stopped the bleeding some time ago, but all the shooting and running had reopened the wound. 

"You want me to try and make it to the engine room?" Eric asked.

Arlo grunted as he tightened the bandage around his arm. He considered Eric's offer. He liked having the manpower at the bridge where he needed it. If he could take the bridge, he could shut down life support to the rest of the ship and the situation would be resolved quickly. On the other hand, if the firefly crew had someone in the engine room, they could do the same. Eventually, they'd realize their own people were likely dead or not able to be rescued and do the only thing they could - make the kind of sacrifice that Arlo would have done an hour ago. He usually got what he was after, but his particular brand of ruthlessness hadn't made him loved by his crew. His decision made, he turned to Eric.

"Get to the engine room. Cut the life support to the rest of the ship."

"Um. That's gonna' hinder the takeover effort, don't you think?"

"I mean to be on the bridge before any of us suffocate."

Eric nodded, not quite willing to buy into the optimism just yet. 

"You gonna' give me cover fire or do I gotta' make with the sprinting and hope for the best?"

Arlo got to his feet. "Get him up," he said, indicating Lux, who'd drifted into a better world thirty minutes ago.

  
  


Bullets ripped through the corridor again, tearing up the walls and clanging off the door which Book and Inara hid behind.

Jayne jerked awake. "What the -?"

He looked around, disoriented for a few seconds, then the shooting moved him to action.

He pushed himself up and immediately sagged against the wall. 

"What are you doin'?" Kaylee asked. "Stay down, Jayne."

Book and Inara turned to look, then quickly returned their attention to the corridor and continued firing. Jayne moved slowly across the room, using the table and anything in his way for support. When he reached the door, he said, "What are they doin'?"

"Shooting," Inara said. 

"They got a plan," he said, impatiently. "What are they doing?"

"I think they're trying to reach the connecting corridor again," Book answered. He took careful aim and fired again.

"Let me in there," Jayne said, motioning Inara to move back. "Get to the other door."

Inara nodded and moved to the new position.

Jayne leaned around the door and squeezed off several shots.

After a minute, everyone stopped shooting again, and Jayne eyed Book.

"I think we need to rush the corridor."

Book's eyebrows shot up on his forehead. "That's the sensible thing to do, is it?"

"Don't know 'bout sensible. All I know is we gotta' do it." Jayne reached a hand to the wall and closed his eyes. He opened them after a minute and said, "They got free run of the ship with that connecting corridor. We can't let 'em get to it."

Book nodded in agreement, knowing Jayne was right. 

Kaylee and Inara exchanged uncomfortable looks. 

"I don't like this plan, Jayne," Inara said.

"You don't gotta' like it. Just do what I say."

"You could both be killed!" 

Jayne ignored her and he and Book prepared themselves for the charge forward.

  
  


Arlo was fuming. "Why look for good help when incompetent help is so easy to find?" he mumbled to himself.

"Hey," Eric said, angrily, "you try running that gauntlet! It's a shooting gallery out there!"

If he could have reached Eric without crossing in front of the doorway, Arlo would've wrapped both hands around his neck and squeezed him until his eyes popped out of his head. He toyed briefly with the idea of shooting both of them and going it alone, but quickly got control of his anger and made up his mind.

"You're going to try again," he said.

"Uh-uh," Eric said.

Arlo aimed his gun at Eric. "I can shoot you or they can. You pick."

Eric only mulled that over for two seconds before he chose. "Fine. But I want hazard pay if we come out of this alive." 

  
  


Both parties chose that moment to charge forward, all making for the same connecting corridor.

Seeing that Book and Jayne had left their positions, Arlo stormed into the corridor as well. 

Less than twenty seconds elapsed wherein everyone rushed headlong at each other and fired blindly down the hall. 

The conflict ended abruptly with Arlo back in his original position with Lux, Book and Jayne occupying the connecting corridor, and Eric gone and away, heading for the engine room.

"That was quite remarkable," Book said, in between gasps.

Jayne leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath and make the stars dancing around his vision go away.

"Never seen anything like it," Book continued.

"You wanna' save it for later, preacher?" Jayne said. "We got us a situation here."

"Yes, you're right." He checked his ammunition. "You must admit, though, that the odds of what just happened must be quite high."

"Yeah," Jayne agreed, "I'm gonna' be writin' 'bout it in my diary later on." He quickly checked his own ammunition and determined that things were going to come to a head sooner rather than later.

Jayne traded positions with Book, which allowed him to see the galley. Inara and Kaylee were watching wide-eyed through that glass. Jayne brought his hand up to his mouth, mimicking talking. 

  
  


Inara and Kaylee had closed the door immediately after Book and Jayne's departure and were unwilling to open it again until the shooting started anew. They stared at Jayne through the window. 

Inara frowned. "What's he trying to say?"

Kaylee looked. "Fall. . . ."

"Ball. . . ?"

"Pi . . . pieman. . . ?" Kaylee shook her head. "I don't. . . ."

"Pie man?" Inara frowned. "What's a pie man?"

"Doll?" Kaylee shook her head. "Stall. . . ."

"He's getting annoyed." Inara gave Jayne a confused look, raised her hands, and shook her head.

"Gall . . . hall . . . does he want us in the hall?" Kaylee asked.

"With a pie man?"

"No, he's saying limon." She squinted. "Wyman?"

"Mall . . .diamond?"

"No. He's saying timon. Mall timon." Kaylee glanced at Inara. "What's a mall timon?"

"He's really mad," Inara said, peering through the window.

"Tall!" Kaylee said, excited. She shook her head in exasperation. "Why's he holding his hand to his mouth?"

"What's a tall timon?" 

"Call!" Kaylee shouted.

"Call timon?" Inara said. "Who's - ?"

The girls looked at each other in glee and shouted, "Call Simon!"

  
  


Jayne groaned and sagged against the wall. That little game of charades nearly did him in.

"And, they're the ones with the schoolin'. . . ." 

"They are under a considerable strain just now," Book said.

  
  


Kaylee brought her radio up to her lips. "Simon?"

"Yes?"

"You okay?"

"Yes. You?" 

Kaylee nodded. "Okay, I guess." She looked at Inara. "What are we supposed to tell him?"

They looked through the window again. Jayne and Book were both gesturing, making wide sweeping movements with their arms. 

"They want us to . . . leave. . . ?" 

Kaylee frowned again. "Go around. . . ?"

"I think they want Simon to go around."

"Around where?"

Simon asked, "What's going on? Am I supposed to do something?"

"Hold on," Kaylee said. She and Inara continued staring.

"I don't think he wants him up there. . . ."

"What's going on?" Simon asked.

"One of 'em got away," Kaylee explained.

Simon was silent a few seconds, then, "I should get back to the engine room. It's unprotected."

Inara and Kaylee stared at each other, then looked at Jayne and Book. 

"Yes, go there now!" Kaylee shouted into the radio.

Inara slumped against the door. "Well, that was exciting. . . ."

  
  


Arlo leaned against the wall, keeping an eye on the corridor.

"Well," Lux said. "That was as stunning a display of missing the mark as I've ever seen."

Arlo glared down at him. "Didn't see you hitting much more than the walls either."

"I'm shot in my shooting arm."

Arlo scoffed.

"I told you this was a bad idea."

"Really?" Arlo said. "When was that?"

"Okay, I think my exact words were, 'we're all gonna' die'."

"We all die sometime," Arlo said, absently.

"Well, thanks for the pearl of wisdom. You got anything that cautions against dying stupid?"

Arlo glared at him. "Shut up and watch the corridor."

  
  


Mal was making his way across the cargo bay to the main door. He could hear gunfire coming from what seemed like all parts of the ship.

"Come on, Zoe. . . ."

  
  


Simon was running. He didn't think he was likely to meet up with anyone not a part of the crew, but he ran all the same. He rounded a corner and rushed into the engine room. 

It took him only a few seconds to realize he'd left the door shut, and it was now standing open, but by then his momentum had carried him inside. 

Eric had just entered the room and was contemplating his first step. He spun around when he heard Simon, and belatedly realized that closing the door should have been it. He raised his gun and fired.

  
  


Jayne shook his head. His plan to simply shoot everyone was proving more difficult than it first seemed. Both sides had come to a mutual cease fire, allowing each party to examine their situation.

"This ain't good," Jayne said.

"No."

They stood in silence for another minute before Jayne said, "I'm going to the engine room."

"Simon may be there already."

"Yeah, well, I ain't too confident in Kaylee and 'Nara figurin' out what we were sayin'."

"They're not stupid," Book replied.

"Stay here. Don't shoot unless they start somethin'."

"I only have two shots left."

Jayne nodded and handed him his gun. "Give me yours."

Book made the trade, then said, "I hope you don't run into a gunfight on the way."

Jayne grunted. "Way this day's goin', we'll all be lucky the ship don't explode. . . ."

  
  


Wash peered through the glass, watching intently and waiting for his chance. He couldn't stand still. An indicator light had gone off several minutes ago, noting a presence in the starboard airlock. They couldn't get out, as he'd locked both forward airlocks early in the game, but he was itching to know who it was and take care of any potential problem.

His chance came unexpectedly as Arlo left his position to mount another enraged assault down the corridor. His backup, however, passed out seconds after he stepped away. 

Wash heaved open the door and careened down the ladder. He dropped to the floor and aimed his gun at Lux's head.

Lux didn't move. He was unconscious and looked to remain that way for some time. Wash plucked the gun from his grasp, then brought his own around and aimed at Arlo's back. At the last second, he decided he couldn't shoot anyone in the back.

"Hey!" he shouted

Arlo spun around, firing wildly.

The bullets went over Wash's head and he fired back, hitting Arlo square in the chest. He flew backwards and landed on the deck, unmoving.

Book left his position and eased up to Arlo, keeping a steady gun on him.

Wash reached him first.

Arlo was struggling to spit out a few last words. Wash kicked his gun out of reach and knelt beside him.

Arlo made a gasping noise, then choked out, "My crew . . . want. . . ."

Book knelt on the other side of him. "We won't kill them if they give themselves up, son. We're not murderers." 

Arlo glared at him. "Ship . . . broke . . . my ship. . . ."

Wash nodded, not caring and not getting his point.

Arlo took in a few raspy breaths. "Useless . . . all of 'em. . . ."

Wash and Book exchanged confused looks. 

Book said, "Your crew?"

Arlo nodded weakly. 

"Well, I'm sure they did their best. . . ." Wash said, reasonably.

His eyes fixed on Book, noting his outfit. "You . . . a preacher?"

"Yes, son, I am. I can administer last rites if you -."

Arlo grabbed Book by the shirt and yanked him forward. 

"I want . . . 'em there. . . ."

"Who?"

"My crew . . . want 'em with me. . . ."

"They aren't able to be here right now. Just relax."

Arlo seemed agitated. He pulled Book closer. "I want 'em . . . there . . . waitin' for me."

Wash and Book exchanged a quick look, then Book said, "In death, you mean?"

Arlo nodded. "I got some . . .things to . . . say. . . ."

Book tried to be reasonable. "Perhaps you'd like to make a confession before you die?"

Arlo nodded. "Hired me . . . a powerful . . . stupid crew. . . ."

"I don't think that constitutes a sin."

Arlo turned loose of Book's shirt. "Always whining . . . 'bout somethin'. . . ." He noticed Wash and grabbed his arm. "Make sure they're . . . there . . . will you?"

Wash's eyebrows shot up into his forehead. "You want us to kill your crew?" he asked, incredulously.

Arlo nodded. "I'd . . . 'preciate it. . . ."

Wash glanced at Book, then back to Arlo. 

"Nothin' but . . . screw ups. . . ." 

"Um . . . we'll do what we can," Wash said, prying his hand from his sleeve.

"Knew they'd . . . be . . . death of . . . me. . . ."

  
  


River, leading the way, eased up to the door to the cargo bay and started pulling it open.

"Hey," Badger said, grabbing her arm. "You don't know what's what in there, luv."

"It's okay," she said, smiling. "Pictures in my head aren't saying bad things."

He let go and stepped back, giving her a quizzical look. "Yeah, I hate when that happens. . . ."

The door slid open and Badger pulled her back. Despite his somewhat lawless ways and disregard for most folk, he still had a smidgen of chivalry buried away, and letting a slip of a girl precede him into a dangerous situation was not acceptable. What would his mum say?

The pain in his arm forgotten for the moment, he cautiously entered the room, gun held in front of him.

Mal stepped into his line of sight and quickly lowered his gun. "You two all right?"

Badger let out a sigh. "No." He let his gun arm drop to his side. "We've been shot at - look at this!" He held up his injured arm for Mal to see.

Mal peered at it briefly. "Don't look so bad to me."

"Been chased all over the ship -!" 

Behind him, River shook her head. 

Mal grinned. "I guess you've had a real hard day, haven't you?"

Badger moved past him into the bay. "And, maybe you noticed, but my cargo's been spaced!"

Mal turned around. "We don't got time for this. You got any idea what's going on out there?" he asked, thumbing through the open door.

Badger, still mumbling and shaking his head, didn't answer. Visual confirmation of his lost cargo was settling in on him with a heaviness that made him want to have a few stiff drinks and a little lie down.

"Hey!" Mal called. "You know where anyone is?"

Badger groaned, still examining the empty cargo bay. "No idea." 

Mal turned back to River, noticing the gun in her hand. "Where'd you get that?"

She held it up and he quickly grabbed it. 

"This is Jayne's," he said.

She smiled. "It's pretty and not heavy."

"Uh-huh."

"Can kill a man at 100 yards."

Mal looked at her. "That it can. Any reason you'd know somethin' like that?"

"Let's not go there, all right?" Badger said, turning around. "She's got pixies flyin' 'round between her ears, you ask me."

"Well, nobody did," Mal said.

"We have to get to the engine room," River said. "Simon needs help."

"How do you know that?"

She grinned like a child. "He always needs help."

"Not exactly what I meant." He shook his head. "Never mind." He turned to Badger. "You back me up, and we'll see what we can do 'bout gettin' your cargo back."

Badger rolled his eyes, groaned again, and followed Mal out of the bay.

River rushed to catch up and latched onto Badger's good arm.

He shrugged out of her grip and shook his head. "Shoulda' listened to mum. Wanted me to be a farmer. . . ."

"You would've made a bad farmer," she said, taking his arm again. 

  
  


Wash reached the starboard airlock and peered inside. He immediately saw Zoe on the other side, pacing and looking irritable. He disabled the lock and opened the door.

Zoe stepped out. 

"Am I glad to see you," Wash said, relieved. "How'd you . . . I mean, why. . . ?"

"I came to rescue you," she said, stepping past him, weapon drawn.

Wash smiled. "Thanks, hon."

"Glad to see you didn't need me."

"I appreciate the thought."

"What's the situation?" she asked, heading toward the bridge.

Wash explained all he knew.

Book and Kaylee sat on the floor, trying to dispense what first aid they could to Lux. Zoe quickly took in the situation. 

"He should really be in the infirmary," Book said.

"Not now, shepherd," Zoe replied. 

She glanced down the corridor and saw Inara heading toward them.

"What's wrong?"

"Those two girls are gone."

"What girls?" 

Inara explained. "If they went back to the cargo bay, they could take one of the shuttles."

"The Captain's still in there."

"He's hurt," Inara said. "We should go -."

"No," Zoe interrupted. "Stay here. The Captain can take care of himself. I'm going to the engine room." She turned to Inara. "Seal all the doors behind me."

"All right."

"Shepherd, you come with me."

She moved into the corridor with Book following.

"Watch out for desperados, honey," Wash called after her.

  
  


Jayne was making poor time. He could barely move his legs and he suspected he'd started bleeding again, but didn't care to look. 

He made his way along the corridor, using the wall for support. 

From what he could figure, he had three assailants, but only two guns to take down. He'd recognized immediately that those girls had only been firing one weapon. He had to aim carefully - no room for anymore mistakes.

Just as he was designing a plan to secure the engine room, which really only involved shooting anyone on his list before they shot him, the ship gave a violent lurch and catapulted him down the corridor.

During his somersault down the length of the corridor, he thought he heard screaming. It wasn't him and he had only a second to wonder who it was before careening into the T-branch ahead and slamming into the wall.

After a minute he managed to get to his knees, noting his gun was missing. The ship was spinning around him and he didn't think it was a mechanical problem. He reached a hand to the wall and braced himself. He closed his eyes, willing the room to settle down into a slow see-saw pattern, if nothing else.

He heard running. His brain told him that was bad - could be someone he didn't want to run into. He couldn't seem to make his mind function beyond a certain speed. Math was certainly out of the question at this stage.

Someone behind him screamed. He tried to get to his feet and turn around at the same time, but the dizziness in his head turned his move into an awkward lurch.

Pip continued screaming and threw herself at Jayne, catching him just as he turned. They rolled across the deck with Nef running after them.

  
  


Simon stood in the engine room, staring down at Eric's recumbent form. He still couldn't believe he'd shot someone - couldn't believe his aim, for that matter. He'd administered what first aid he could and now stood in an otherwise empty room with the ship apparently spinning out of control.

"Simon!"

Simon spun around. Seeing no one, he moved toward the door.

"Simon!" 

With a start, he realized it was coming from his radio. He picked it up from the floor and said, "Yes?"

Wash's voice came back, agitated. "What is going on down there?"

Simon looked around. "Uh . . . I think we hit something in the shootout."

"You had a -? Never mind. Look, I've lost attitude control up here and we're slipping out of orbit."

"What should I do?"

"Simon! It's Kaylee. You need to get to the engine and tell me what's wrong with it."

Simon moved over to the apparatus and stared briefly at it. 

"It's not moving," he said.

"Yeah, I'd guessed that," she replied. "What's broken on it?"

"Broken?" Simon studied the monstrosity before him. "I can't tell."

"You can't -? What does that mean?"

Simon shrugged. "It means I . . . it all looks . . . well everything down here is all rusted and. . . ."

"Simon Tam! Are you implyin' I don't keep a ship-shape engine?"

"Wha -? No!"

Wash interrupted. "We don't have time for this, kids."

"I'd have to agree," Zoe said.

Simon turned and found Zoe and Book standing in the doorway. He let out a sigh.

"Do you know anything about engines?"

"About as much as you, I'd say," Zoe replied, stepping into the room. "He dead?" she asked, upon seeing Eric.

"Uh, no. Bullet hit him in the throat . . . well, never mind. Uh . . . Kaylee wants to know what's broken on this," he said, gesturing at the engine.

Book and Zoe examined it.

"This doesn't go here," she said, pulling a hose back for him to see.

"What is it?" Kaylee asked.

"Don't know," Zoe answered, "but, it's shooting green liquid out all over the floor. . . ."

  
  


Kaylee paced up and down in front of their prisoner. 

"I gotta' go down there," she told Wash. 

"I know, I know." He was on the bridge, punching buttons and anxiously trying to get the control he needed.

"I'm goin'," she said.

He spun around. "No!" 

"Wash!"

"You wanna' get shot before you get there?"

"Well, if we crash into the planet, it ain't gonna' matter, now is it?"

  
  


Jayne struggled to his knees again and threw Pip off his back. He spun around and just managed to duck a blow to the head from Nef. He punched her in the stomach and plucked the gun from her hand.

She let out a loud gasp and doubled over. Jayne put a hand on her forehead and pushed her away. He then swung his arm around and aimed at Pip.

He pulled the trigger.

The gun clicked.

Empty. 

Disgusted, Jayne dropped it and reached for the wall. As he was trying to get to his feet. Pip dived at him, catching him around the neck. They crashed to the deck and proceeded to roll around again, each letting out various grunts of pain and distress.

Pip squeezed for all she was worth.

"Gaaaack -!" 

Jayne grabbed her hair and jerked her head back.

She let out a scream that threatened to burst his eardrums, and continued screaming until he clamped his other hand over her mouth.

Jayne staggered to his feet, weaving back and forth, and keeping his grip on Pip. Once he regained his balance, he grabbed both her arms and pried them from his neck. 

He didn't get much further as Nef jumped on his back. Jayne dropped to his knees, letting out a gasp as the hard deck sent shockwaves of pain through his entire body. He didn't have the energy for a brawl. The pain hammering through his abdomen was making him nauseous and dizzy. He had to end this fast.

He got one foot under him and managed to balance himself, despite Nef trying to twist his head off. Pip was still struggling to get out of his grip and he obliged her. Before she could make good use of her situation, he grabbed her by the shirt, and punched her square in the jaw.

Her head snapped back and she wavered for only a second before toppling backwards onto the floor, unconscious.

Jayne didn't waste any time. He pushed off with his foot and thrust backwards, ramming Nef into the wall.

She let out a choked gasp and her grip on him dissolved. 

Jayne was having trouble seeing clearly, and he couldn't seem to get to his feet. Nef was still draped across his back and not helping matters any.

Jayne swayed briefly, then collapsed, landing on Pip. 

Mal, Badger and River arrived half a minute later and found the three of them unconscious and sandwiched together. 

"Well, this here's somethin' I know I'm gonna' want to hear about later," Mal said.

  
  


In the engine room, things were not pleasant.

"I do NOT know what this is," Simon said, holding up a bulky piece of equipment. "But, I think it may be broken."

Zoe and Book examined it.

"I think you're right," Book said. 

"Should we be standing in this?" Simon asked, looking at the floor.

Zoe and Book glanced down. 

"I think it's okay long as we don't strike a match," Zoe said.

Simon gaped at her, and slowly shook his head.

Book held the radio up to his ear. Kaylee said, "You gotta' plug that line back in and realign the regulator. That's what's keepin' it from turnin'!"

"The line?"

"No, the regulator being outta' whack!"

Simon looked at his shoes, coated in green, sticky liquid. "This can't be good. . . ."

"Okay, I'm plugging it back in," Zoe said.

"The engine's not turning," Book said.

Kaylee sighed loudly for everyone to hear and said, "That's 'cause the regulator ain't hooked up right!"

"Yes, I see that," Book said, trying to remain calm.

Simon held the object in his hand. "How can you tell which way it goes on?"

"Here," Zoe said, taking it. She tried to replace it. It didn't fit.

"It doesn't seem to fit," Book said.

Kaylee nearly screamed. "It fits! It fits! You just gotta' put it in right!" She paused. "I'm coming down there."

In the background, Wash said, "We're gonna' hit atmo in less than a minute."

As if in response, the ship slewed around and everyone staggered around, trying to maintain their balance.

"Turn it around," Book said. 

Simon and Zoe each took hold of the regulator and turned it every which way they could and tried to plug it back in.

"Is this thing made by reavers?" Simon asked, appalled. 

Zoe turned it around again and jammed it into the engine.

Simon continued, "It has no discernable coupling mechanisms. . . ."

The ship banked slightly and they each grabbed the engine to keep from sliding across the room.

"I think it's upside down," Book said.

Zoe tried again. 

"This is ridiculous," she said, shaking her head. "Ask Kaylee again. . . ."

"That little round piece plugs into the brace on top to hold it in place," a hoarse voice behind them said.

The three amateur engineers whirled around to look at Eric. He was still lying on the floor, the green fluid soaking into his clothes, and holding a hand firmly against the wound in his neck.

"You know how to fix this?" Zoe said.

"I just told you."

Zoe turned back and positioned the regulator. 

"Now turn it clockwise and push it into that slot just under the . . . yeah. Push on it. They stick sometimes."

"It won't go."

"That's 'cause most of the lubrication is on the floor."

That revelation caused Simon to gaze at the floor again. "Is this stuff flammable? What if a spark ignites it. . .?"

The engine sprung to life and Zoe and Book leapt back. 

The sudden revitalizing of the engine didn't stop the ship from sliding further around and sending Simon and Zoe sliding across the room. Book managed to hang on to the control panel while the ship righted itself.

Eric, mashed up against the wall and still holding his neck, mumbled, "This kinda' thing never happened on our ship. . . ."

  
  


The infirmary was filled to capacity with some of the injured sitting on the floor. Jayne was lying on a bed, unconscious, with Simon gently probing at the wound in his side.

Mal occupied the bed against the wall, with Zoe packing more gauze around his leg wound. Inara stood at the head of his bed, watching, a relieved, yet slightly pale, expression on her face.

She dabbed at his forehead with a wet towel. "You're going to need a good scrubbing to get all this mud off of you."

Badger, still holding his arm as though it were in danger of falling off, moved over to Mal. 

"What about my cargo?"

"Wash says it's bouncin' 'round out there," Mal answered. "We just gotta' go out and haul it in."

"And when's that gonna' be?"

Mal sighed in annoyance. "Soon as someone feels up to it." He gestured, indicating the room. "You see anyone looks sprightly enough to do it just now?"

Badger glanced at Zoe. 

"Them that are, are helpin' the wounded," Mal said, firmly.

"Which I happen to be one of," he said, holding up his arm.

"You wanna' stop brandishin' that around?" He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. "Try helpin' out 'round here. Might make things move a little faster."

Badger rolled his eyes and stomped off.

River stood next to Simon, watching as he cleaned away the blood and dirt from Jayne's side. She shook her head. "His insides need fixing."

"Yes," Simon answered, absently.

"Leftovers are never good." 

"River, there aren't going to be any leftovers, okay? Now, please, I need to work here." He spared a glance for the other occupants of the room. "Help Kaylee, will you?"

River nodded and joined Kaylee, who was doing her best to tend to Eric and Lux. Neither of which had a kind word to spare. Book hovered over them, a small handgun cradled in his hand. 

"Why are you bothering with this if you're just gonna' kill us?" Nef asked. She was sitting on the floor, gently massaging her head.

"I ain't gonna' kill you," Mal said. "Think maybe I'll turn you over to the proper authorities."

"Mind tellin' us where you're headed?" Nef asked.

Mal considered, then, finding no harm in sharing, said, "Demeter. Don't think there's any feds out that way, but the locals can -."

"You're going to Demeter!" Pip screamed.

Mal propped himself up on his elbows. "Yeah? Any reason not to?"

"That's where we were goin'," Pip said, throwing her arms in the air. "That was before the ship broke and before we crashed our shuttle on that hell hole planet back there . . . ."

Mal and Zoe exchanged a look. 

Badger stopped his pacing and stared down at their captives. "What were you goin' to Demeter for? Nobody comes out this way."

"Had a cargo to pick up. Some English guy was deliverin' it 'cause Arlo's kinda' unwelcome on Persephone. . . ." Pip trailed off, noticing the collective expressions of astonishment around the room. "What?"

Mal slowly turned his head to look at Zoe. 

She gave him a brief smile. "Has a kind of irony to it, sir."

Mal shook his head. "Well, irony's been kickin' us in the ass lately, and I'm a little fed up with it," he said, angrily. He sighed and dropped back onto the bed. "You wanna' take care of that, Zoe?" 

"I'll get right on it, sir." 

"I'm going to need a little help over here," Simon said.

Kaylee jumped up and rushed to his side. 

"What can I do?" she asked.

"He gonna' be all right, Doc?" Mal asked.

"Yes," he answered. To Kaylee he said, "Hold this here." He looked around. "You two, come over here, please."

Pip and Nef got to their feet and Book escorted them across the room.

They looked expectantly at Simon. 

"You're going to help me."

"I ain't a nurse," Pip said, indignantly. 

"Neither am I," Nef said.

"Innards make me puke," Pip said.

Simon sighed loudly. "Just calm down and do what I tell you."

Inara moved around where she could see Mal face-to-face and continued cleaning the mud from his face and neck. Trying to hide her relief that he was still alive was becoming a habit as well as a burden. Maybe she should just tell him how she feels. . . .

"I'm thinkin' you might wanna' have a look at how you select your clientele in the future," he said, abruptly.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, now that you're servicing the peasants, you might want to see about bein' a little more selective in the future."

"What!"

"Well, we wouldn't be on this backwater planet if you didn't have a client." 

Inara clinched her jaw. "Are you saying this is all my fault because I'm lowering my standards?"

"Well. . . ."

She gasped in outrage. "I wouldn't have to if you'd frequent civilization a little more often."

She threw the towel in his face and stormed off. 

Zoe raised an eyebrow at Mal.

He looked at her, innocently. "What?"

"You certainly have a way with people, sir."

"It's what makes me so damn likeable."

"Uh-huh."

Jayne opened his eyes. It was loud, wherever he was. Bits of conversations were floating around and he didn't care to try to make sense out of them.

He turned his head slowly and focused on the room.

"Don't move," Simon said.

"What?" 

"I said, don't move. I'm going to give you an injection. I have to operate on you, but we've got quite a lot of wounded here."

Jayne ignored him and tried to focus on the people bending over him. His gaze fell on two familiar figures and he tried to remember where he'd seen them.

"Take the scissors and start cutting away his clothes," Simon said.

Pip and Nef looked at each other in outrage. 

"This ain't what I finished sixth grade for," Pip grumbled.

"I'm shot in the head here, you know," Nef said, irritated.

"It's only a graze," Simon said. "Now, please, get to work."

Pip and Nef looked at each other, then at Jayne.

He stared back at them, realization hitting him with sickening clarity.

"Aw hell. . . ." 

  
  


The End

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
